By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A vehicle drove through the front of the Dollar Tree on South Belt Highway in St. Joseph after a 9-year-old hit the shift and sent the vehicle through the storefront.

The 9-year-old and his 5-year-old sibling were OK, but the Dollar Tree store manager suffered injuries severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.

St. Joseph police say the incident began Wednesday afternoon when a mother left her two children in her Chevrolet Avalanche to make a quick stop in the store. The 9-year-old crawled into the front seat, shifted the truck into drive, and sent it crashing into the store.

An investigation continues as Dollar Tree employees clean up the debris and work to reopen the store.