More than five months after an SUV smashed through the wall of a Mountview pharmacy, it is back to business as usual.
Sproule’s Mountview IDA Pharmacy at 3757 4rd. Ave. was badly damaged on the morning of June 18 when an SUV slammed into the north wall of the building and came to rest inside.
RCMP said at the time, an elderly woman driving the SUV lost control due to a medical issue. She was taken away by ambulance. No one inside the pharmacy, which also includes a Canada Post outlet, was injured.
Pharmacy manager Jordan Capicio said the pharmacy and post office were opened again in August using a side entrance for access.
Repairs continued on the main part of the building, which was fully open again on Monday.
It has been a long journey to repair the building, fix and restock the shelves which were thrown across the store by the impact. A that at first thought might take weeks turned into months.
“We definitely weren’t expecting it. It’s been a pretty long haul,” said Capicio.
“The community has been really supportive and patient with the long process. But a lot of people are happy that we have reopened and pretty close back to normal,” he said.
“We kind of refreshed a bit. The store is a little brighter and there is a little more space.”
Operating the location for months while repairs and renovations was a challenge.
“It was a little bit difficult, just with the limited space we had. But fortunately for us, our customer base is really loyal and they’ve been super good for us throughout the whole process.
“It was just a lot longer than we were initially expecting.”
After the Saturday morning collision, Red Deer Emergency Services fire-medics had to shore up the damaged walls of the building so it was safe enough for a tow truck to come and pull out the SUV. Luckily, no gas or electrical lines were damaged.