Things may be a bit chillier than usual for the next little while in the Hair for a Good Time shop at Cedar's Plaza, but things could have been much worse.
A vehicle crashed through the front window of the salon just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Several people were inside, including clients, a hairdresser and an assistant, said a spokesperson for the shop.
The accident occurred when the driver of the dark-coloured sedan didn't realize the car was in gear. "It was accidental, it wasn't intentional," said the salon spokesperson. "He just made the mistake of hitting the gas while it was Drive instead of Park and came right through."
Amazingly, no one was hurt, she added. "Not even a scratch. We were told by the police we were very lucky. He can't believe that nobody got hurt."
Quick thinking on the part of the employees helped prevent injuries; they removed their clients right away. As well, the car only crossed the threshold into the store, possibly slowed by the weight in the trunk of the vehicle, said the spokesperson.
She said that a vehicle going through a shop window "happens a lot more than you'd think." In fact, she noted, a vehicle plowed through the front window of neighbouring business, Flamborough Travel Plus, 12 years ago.
The salon, which is owned by Lorraine Brown, received even further good news on Wednesday: city inspectors checked the damage and judged that the structure is safe to use.
"We can be open for business; we just have to use the back door," said the spokesperson, noting it could take some time to get the door and window fixed. Until then, it's boarded up and the space heaters will be on full blast. "I heard we're supposed to have bad weather. It's going to be awful cold.
"But nobody was hurt - that was the blessing."
