A car accident occurred in west Houston yesterday when a Porsche Macan crashed into the 32 Degreez Barbershop and several other businesses in a strip mall. The vehicle struck an 11-year-old boy, who was injured and required surgery. Surveillance footage showed the car crashing through the barbershop's wall around 12:15 p.m. before continuing into four other nearby businesses, according to an abc13 report.
The driver, a 61-year-old man, had reportedly just left a dialysis treatment when he lost control of the vehicle. Joseph Rothchild, owner of the strip mall, recounted his conversation with the driver who remembered backing up, and driving forward but after that, he could only recall coming to in the aftermath.
The boy who was struck suffered internal bleeding among other injuries, and he was quickly rushed to surgery. Barber Chez Roberston, who narrowly escaped the oncoming car remarked, "As soon as I made a move, the car plowed through the barbershop, and it hit my 10-year-old client. It actually took him through the wall, so it was a traumatizing experience for sure," in a statement given to KHOU. Despite significant property damage, including the car ending up inside a gun shop, no fatalities were reported.
Darrick Brown, the owner of the barbershop, expressed his concern prioritizing the wellbeing of his customers over the loss of property. "We can put the shop back together, that’s nothing. But for that little boy, I’m just praying for him," Brown told KHOU. Despite the destruction, emergency repairs were quickly underway across the affected businesses, with an optimistic goal to reopen today.
