Sports Car Crashes Into Dry Cleaner

Maria Esperanza Guerra was still shaking her head yesterday, a day after a sports car plowed into the busy Rockville dry cleaner she manages, shattering a large storefront window and sending employees and customers scurrying for cover.

No one was hurt. Not even a shirt got wrinkled, Guerra said.

"Everything was in bags," she said, "and the conveyers weren't hit."

About 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, with closing time two and a half hours away, employees of Dry Clean Expo at 11130 Rockville Pike were hustling to cater to the after-work crowd when a Jaguar crashed through the window and traveled 25 feet into the store.

"I thought it was a bomb that had gone off," said Guerra, who had been in a back room. "I started running and saw the car inside."

As debris settled and the dust cleared, the driver's sobs filled the air.

"She just stayed there, crying and scared," Guerra said. "She kept looking around, all that mess, and kept saying, 'Oh my God.' "

After police arrived, the driver -- who was alone in the car -- got out, still crying, Guerra said.

A police officer comforted her, telling her that the business was likely insured, Guerra said.

The car was towed, and the driver, Iren J. Vallario, 62, of Bethesda, received a citation for negligent driving, authorities said. A Montgomery County police spokesman said that it was unclear what led to the crash.

Vallario could not be reached yesterday to comment.

The storefront was boarded up with plywood Wednesday night, and the dry cleaner opened for business at 7 a.m. yesterday. The popular shop was bustling by the afternoon, although some employees remained shaken.

Minutes before the crash, Guerra had been working in the area where the car plowed through.

"By virtue of a miracle, I had left," she said.