Accident breaks shop window, but leaves people unharmed

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - The day after an SUV came crashing through the storefront window of Off the Map Tattoo on Cottage Street, it was back to business as usual for employees, who said they were thankful no one was injured in the accident.

The broken window, shattered Tuesday evening, was boarded up Wednesday, with the words "We're open" spray painted on it.

The store's manager, Mary Bowen, who was inside the store when a Land Rover jumped the curb and came crashing through the front window, said it was fortunate that no customers were injured.

"We were really lucky, because the window she came through is in front of the bench space where customers come in and look through our catalogs," Bowen said.

"Had someone been sitting there, they would have been just covered in glass."

According to Police Chief Bruce McMahon, at 7:45 p.m., while attempting to parallel park, Caroline A. Quigley, 60, of Wilmington, Del., lost control of her 2005 Land Rover and drove up a small tree and into the front of the tattoo parlor.

"We lost our little tree that we were going to decorate for Christmas," Bowen said. "It used the tree just like a ramp and went right up into our window."

Before hitting the building, McMahon said Quigley's vehicle struck the rear bumper of a 2004 Toyota Corolla owned by Winifred M. Tannetta of Bardwell Street in South Hadley. Damage to the Corolla was limited to the back bumper, according to the report.

According to an accident report, Quigley said she lost control of her vehicle when she tried to hit to the brakes.

When asked if she could have hit the gas pedal along with the brakes, Quigley told police "she didn't know," according to the report.

The accident prompted a structural review of the building by Joseph Fydenkevez Jr., the city's building inspector, who determined that damage to the structure itself was minor.

"They basically just took the pane of glass out from the front window.

There was a structural crack in the second floor of the building, but both the tenant and the building owner said the crack was there before the accident," Fydenkevez said.

"It was a miracle that they didn't hit anything structural."

It remains unclear whether Quigley will be cited for the accident, McMahon said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.