A vehicle tore through the Stewart's Shops at 30 Church Street in the Village of Chatham on Thursday, trapping someone inside and forcing the convenience store to shut down while crews shut off utilities and inspected the damaged building. Emergency responders arrived to find the car lodged inside the store, with one victim who needed to be extricated before being taken to a hospital.
According to WRGB, a driver was being treated for injuries after crashing into the store, and Columbia County 911 dispatched the Chatham Fire Department, Chatham Rescue Squad, Chatham Police Department and New York State Police to the scene. WRGB reported the response occurred at approximately 10:07 a.m., while the Daily Gazette put the crash at about 10:27 a.m. — accounts that have not been reconciled.
Emergency personnel found a vehicle inside the building along with a victim requiring extrication, per WRGB's report. The station said Chatham Rescue transported that victim to an area hospital for further medical care, while the building was evacuated as crews worked the scene.
Conflicting Details on Who Was Hurt and Who Was Driving
Reports differ sharply on how many people were injured and who was behind the wheel. WNYT reported that two people were hurt in the crash, while News10 reported that a 40-year-old woman who was inside the store's bathroom at the time was taken to Albany Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, and that the 82-year-old driver was unharmed.
The Daily Gazette identified the driver as Diane M. Reutter, 82, of Chatham, reporting that she drove a Honda Civic into the front of the convenience store and was not injured. WNYT, however, reported that New York State Police said an 82-year-old man accelerated while attempting to park and crashed through the side of the building. The discrepancies over the driver's age, gender and condition have not been resolved across the various accounts.
Utilities Shut Off as Building Inspector Clears Structure
The Chatham Fire Department shut down necessary utilities at the scene and secured the building, working alongside the Village of Chatham Department of Public Works, according to WRGB's report. The Town of Chatham Building Inspector then evaluated the structure and determined it was structurally safe, the Daily Gazette noted, after which responders turned the scene over to Stewart's Shops corporate facilities personnel.
Those corporate facilities staff assessed the building and began planning repairs, WRGB reported. The Chatham Fire Department said the store may remain closed for a period of time while necessary repairs are completed, though no reopening date has been announced. The fire department also asked the public to avoid the area and respect posted closures, and it thanked Columbia County 911, Chatham Rescue, Chatham Police, New York State Police, the Village of Chatham DPW, the Town of Chatham Building Inspector and Stewart's Shops personnel for their work at the scene.
Echoes of a Similar Crash Upstate
Thursday's crash follows a similar incident at a Stewart's Shops in Saugerties in June, when a driver accidentally plowed an SUV into the front of the store on State Route 212, according to WPDH. Authorities said an elderly female driver in that crash accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the brake, causing extensive damage to the storefront, though no injuries were reported among the driver or anyone inside the store that day.
