Denise Rockenstein — Staff reporter
CLEARLAKE — The southern front portion of Ray”s Food Place sustained extensive damage Wednesday after a motorist drove through the building. The grocery store was temporarily closed and was expected to reopen later in the afternoon.
The damaged area of the store will remain inaccessible to customers during repairs.
Two men, who were seated in the deli dining area, suffered minor to moderate injuries in the incident. A 65-year-old man, who was seated in a dining booth, was transported via Lake County Fire Protection District (LCFPD) ambulance after being knocked to the floor and hit with debris and glass. Another man in his 20s was also transported with similar injuries.
Response was requested at 9:50 a.m. on Dam Road in Clearlake following a report of a vehicle into the building. Units arrived to find a Toyota Tundra, which was allegedly driven by an unidentified woman, inside the business. The vehicle apparently came through the double windows in front of the deli dining area, made a left turn and continued until it became wedged between Check Stand 7 and an ice freezer.
“It”s not an everyday experience,” Holly Bray, store employee, said.
Several dining booths, the deli service counter, a bakery display and other product displays along with the check stand, freezer and other fixtures received extensive damage. However, Clearlake Building Inspector Scott Spivey said no structural damage was discovered following a preliminary building inspection.
The building was consumed with smoke upon the arrival of emergency responders. The smoke was the result of the vehicle”s roasting tires, which left about two inches of rubber on the floor. Spivey said response by Lake County Health Department was requested to determine any food contamination that may have been caused by the tire smoke.
The Clearlake Police Department is investigating the incident.
