A family-owned grocery store in Virginia suffered major structural damage on Wednesday when it was struck by an out of control truck.
The crash occurred on Wednesday morning in Orange County, Virginia.
According to Virginia State Police, a semi truck was southbound on the Blue Ridge Turnpike when it failed to stop for a stop sign and hit a dump truck that was traveling on Constitution Highway.
The crash sent the semi truck off of the roadway into Somerset Center Store. The dump truck also left the road and struck an unoccupied home.
The dump truck driver was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.
Two people were inside the store when it was hit by the truck, but they were able to walk away without major injuries.
The Orange Volunteer Fire Company said that the store sustained “significant damage” in the crash and is asking people to avoid the area.
The crash is still under investigation.
Before & after of the Somerset Store show the destruction caused by this tractor trailer crash. Before photo is from a story I did there in 2017 when an employee told me: “Majority of the accidents we see are just people not stopping at the stop sign”.https://t.co/IWb76mXV8l pic.twitter.com/LWZSxK1Xxg
— Matt Talhelm (@MattTalhelm) May 27, 2020
According to several local news outlets, crashes are common at the intersection of Constitution Highway and Blue Ridge Turnpike.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says that Blue Ridge Turnpike (Route 231) is closed in the area until further notice.
UPDATE (11:55 a.m.): Route 20 is open to traffic. Route 231 is CLOSED between Route 655 (Jacksontown Road) and Route 20 (Constitution Hwy) in Orange County until further notice due to a tractor trailer crash. @CBS19News @NBC29
— VDOT Culpeper (@VaDOTCULP) May 27, 2020
Somerset Center Store has been family-owned and operated since 1998.