THE owners of a corner shop in Morda says they are relieved no-one was seriously injured after a car crashed into it in the early hours of Saturday.
Mandeep Singh was restocking items in the store when a silver Peugeot came crashing through the wall at around 12.40am.
Mandeep said she had been working on shelves directly along the wall just moments before the crash, but had moved over to check on her cat Marley, who was in the shop with her.
She has been left with some pain in her arm and shoulder but thanked police and the driver's family for their support during a 'surreal' experience.
"Usually after I close the shop we just sit in the house for a bit, and then later on I stock up, especially for the weekends as they are quite busy," said Mandeep, whose family have owned the store since 2012.
"Luckily, because we're renovating the house at one side, Marley was in the shop with me so I made a little corner for him to be comfy.
"I decided to sit with him a bit because he wasn't settling – I left the shelves alone and went to sit down by him but two or three minutes later, the car drove into the shop.
"I saw the shelves coming towards me, the whole place was shaking and I tried to lean back and hold onto something – it was so scary.
"I just started screaming for my parents.
"The lad in the car came around to the house to check if anyone was in because the shop was locked but the lights were on.
"He wanted to make sure that no-one was injured and he was very concerned for us.
"There's some bruising on my arm and my shoulder is sore but on the night, I felt nothing.
"I threw them backwards to hold onto something.
“I just want to say thanks to the police for their help – they waited all night while the shop was boarded up and really helped us.
"Also, the boy's parents came around the next morning to check on us, which was lovely."
Mandeep's mum Jas Singh said there is no timeframe for closure, but admitted all the details are secondary when it comes to Mandeep's safety.
And she also called for a safety barrier to be installed by the shop.
"I will be speaking to whoever I need to about getting railings for the corner of the road," she said.
"Heavy traffic like lorries and buses are getting closer when they take the corner – it's always a close shave.
"There were others in the car with him so it was a scary experience for them.
"We offered them drinks and blankets while they waited for police, which the young man called for himself.
"We were lucky that we had socially-conscious people involved in the crash."
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