New Haven Independent

“I was so scared,” said Torres (pictured), who’s 19. The counter broke and hit her in the stomach.

She was working at Gran Rodeo on the corner of Grand and Lloyd Street Monday morning when a car crashed into the front of the store, shattering a window and knocking down part of a brick wall.

Torres recovered quickly from the crash. So did the store — thanks to a team of Grand Avenue businessmen, family and friends who came together Monday to repair the damage.

The store, which specializes in Mexican rodeo boots and baptism trinkets, is run by Marta Sanchez and Santos Lucero.

Sanchez was working behind the store’s glass counter at 10 a.m. when she felt a crash. A car burst three feet into the store, knocking down a wall of inventory and hitting Sanchez in the back. When she looked up, people were calling out to her.

“Get out! Get out!” they told her.

They warned her that the car might catch on fire and explode. The car didn’t end up exploding, and she and Torres, her niece, got out safely. They got checked out at the hospital. Then they returned to the store to help put the pieces back together.

Lucero wasn’t there when the crash happened. He rushed over soon after. There were two cars in the street, he said. One had apparently hit the other. One car ended up on his sidewalk. There was glass everywhere, he said.

At about 3 p.m., a crew of family, friends and local businessmen had just finished eating taking a break from a hard day’s work for a pizza and pasta lunch.

Torres and Sanchez (at right in photo) got back to work picking up fallen goods scattered around the floor near the site of the crash. The family, which is from Puebla, Mexico, makes handmade gifts for baptisms and weddings. They also sell cowboy boots, belts, and shiny belt buckles. As they put the inventory into plastic bags, a group of men worked on the front of the store.

They were working to repair the building up to city standards so they could reopen. A city inspector showed up after the crash, deemed the building structurally unsafe, and slapped on a “danger” sign specifying that the store had to close. Lucero, who owns the building and the store, said the building is insured.

Fair Haven developer Angelo Reyes (pictured) and his brother boarded up the shattered front windows. Then they reinforced the doorway and walls so that the store could reopen. He took the phone receiver and helped Lucero navigate through insurance company bureaucracy to file a claim.

At 3:30 p.m., city inspector Jim Eggert showed up for a second look. The store passed the test. He took down the “danger” sign.

“Now they can open,” said Eggert. “If they can make it safe, then we’re happy.”

Lucero said he planned to reopen that afternoon, as soon as he could clean up the inside of the store. He said he was grateful to Reyes and his brother for volunteering to help him get going again.