KRISTEN TOLLESON – SPECIAL TO THE FREE LANCE
HOLLISTER
Looking at Lynn’s Liquor, people wouldn’t know it was out of business for nearly a month after a vehicle crashed into the building.
Last Thanksgiving, property owner Lynn Lake was in the back stocking items when it happened. Business owner John Hernandez Jr. said he got a call from Lake around 5:30 p.m., arrived at the store 10 minutes later and didn’t leave until around midnight.
Hernandez said a white van drove through the entrance of the building and then backed out and drove off. No one was near the accident and there were no injuries, he said.
The business was closed for 28 days, causing roughly $40,000 in damage he said. The store lost around $28,000 in business during the time of construction, he estimated.
A security guard had to be hired for 24-hour service so no one could go into the store and steal anything. Construction started the next day and was finished relatively soon. Lake knew a construction worker who worked every day to get the job done, allowing the store to open back up soon after.
Most people didn’t know an accident had occurred, figuring the store was being remodeled, Hernandez said. The store got a new entrance way, new windows and a new paint job.
Hernandez said customers were happy to see the store open back up.
He was, however, a little disappointed in the police department because he arrived to the store before officers did, he said. Two officers showed up and one of them gave Hernandez his business card and told him to call his insurance company, Hernandez said.
Hernandez later viewed the surveillance tape, which caught the accident but could not help discern a license plate number.
Lake has owned the building for nearly 20 years, Hernandez said. This is the second accident the store has had. The first one involved someone running into the side of the building, but it didn’t do as much damage as the latest accident.
