'I'm thankful we weren't standing there': Car smashes into Saskatoon martial arts studio

A Saskatoon martial arts studio is closed for the time being after a car smashed into its building.

Saskatoon emergency crews were called to Momentum Martial Arts at 33rd St. W. and Ave. D,  Saturday evening when a Mazda sedan drove through a wall of the studio. 

Police said a 65-year-old woman lost control of the vehicle and drove into a building. The driver and the 97-year-old passenger were not seriously injured. As a precautionary measure, the female passenger was transported to hospital.

According to a post on Facebook by Momentum Martial Arts, the two owners are looking for a place to hold classes temporarily while clean up is completed. 

"We've taken a pretty good shot to the face, but we're not out," posted owner and operator Kris Kembel.

The business had already planned to move to a new location at 401 46th St. E. as of Nov. 1.

"For now we're thankful that this happened when the building was empty," Kembel said, explaining that 30 people were on the mats in that area the night before for a seminar. "My training partner and I were actually training in the exact spot that the vehicle landed inside the building.

"As you can imagine I'm thankful we weren't standing there when it happened."

Police said they believe the cause of the collision might be due to a mechanical malfunction with the vehicle. No charges are expected to be laid.