A BUSINESSMAN has described the horrifying moment a car smashed into his shop, seriously injuring two women in the vehicle.

The crash happened on Darwen Street, Blackburn, just after 9pm on
Tuesday.

A black Suzuki SX4 flipped on its roof and smashed into the front of Iceberg Supplements after narrowly avoiding a family leaving Blackburn Youth Zone.

The driver, a 55-year-old woman from Blackburn, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Royal Preston Hospital where she remains in a serious but stable condition.

Lancashire Telegraph:

PICTURE: Ash Hamilton

The passenger, a 20-year-old woman, suffered back injuries.

Police said both women suffered serious injuries and their families are being supported by specially-trained officers.

Emergency services were called to the junction of Darwen Street and
Mincing Lane at 9.05pm.

Ice Hussain, director of Iceberg Supplements, saw the horror unfold via
the shop’s CCTV system which sent footage directly to his mobile phone.

He said: “I was away at a meeting in Bradford when it happened. The
CCTV footage was sent directly to it when the shop alarm went off. As they came around the bend, the car was coming at a normal speed.

“Then it suddenly sped up, veered off the road, hit the island in front of
the shop and flipped over. My phone automatically zoomed in on the car. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at, it was awful."

Lancashire Telegraph:

PICTURE: Ash Hamilton

Mr Hussain said a lot of his store’s stock was destroyed when the car
smashed through the shop front window. He said: “The health food
stock and clothing were ruined by the broken glass.

“However it can all be repaired and replaced, all that matters is the people in the car. I just hope the people who were involved make a speedy recovery.”

Adjoining store, Nybble IT Solutions, was also damaged in the crash.
IT technician Homzah Adam said: “We were not in the building at the
time but as soon as it happened we were inundated with calls.

“We came down straight away because we thought the emergency services might need access to the building. The staff from Iceberg Supplements came down as well and were really shaken up.

“We have had safety inspectors in and they have assessed all four floors
and declared it safe so we are able to work in the offices upstairs. The shop front has been damaged, but we are just glad that no-one lost their life.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

One woman wrote on Facebook: “A car nearly ran into my husband’s car
then smashed into a shop. He had just picked the boys up from Youth Zone and he had to swerve into Edmondsons as the car started coming towards him then smashed into a shop and went upside down.”

The road was closed for four hours after the collision and area outside
Iceberg Supplements remains closed to pedestrians.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.

Sgt Marc Glass said: “Two women from Blackburn have been seriously
injured and my thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

“They, along with their families, are being supported by specially-trained
officers.

“I am asking anyone who witnessed the collision and has not yet spoken with police to come forward. You can call us on 101 quoting log reference 1406 of March 13th.”

An ambulance service spokesman said the 55-year-old woman had sustained leg injuries.

She said: “We attended to two patients, a 20-year-old female and a woman in her mid-50s with leg injuries. Both were quite badly injured and were taken to hospital."