Woman Loses Control Of Truck, Drives Straight Into Carlos Furniture

ST. CROIX — A woman said to be about 60 years old crashed into the front-facing glass wall of the Carlos Furniture Store located in Peter’s Rest early Sunday, plowing through multiple items in the process, according to the brothers who own the store, speaking with a Consortium reporter on the scene this morning. The incident is said to have occurred at about 6:00 a.m.

According to one of the owners, Jahad Idheileh, he received a call at 6:30 this morning advising him to quickly come to the store. There, he and his brother, Johad Idheileh, met a rare scene: an old Dodge Ram almost completely inside the store, leaving broken glass and furniture in its path.

“The woman said she lost control,” Jahad said, as both brothers laughed off the incident. “What else can you do? Somebody has to work, right?” he added, making reference to a contractor who would later repair the damage, and a glass company that would insert a brand new glass wall.

Inside area of Carlos Furniture where a Dodge Ram truck stopped after crashing into the store’s front-facing glass wall. (Credit: Jahad Idheileh)

The brothers, who said the woman appeared to be about 60 years old, said she also looked shaken by the accident. But the brothers were not unsettled by the unusual sight, and they handled the situation with grace.

The cost of the damage will be borne by either the vehicle’s insurance policy, of that of the store. Either ways, Jahad and Johad were simply grateful that no one was hurt during the freak accident.

“I am just praising God right now for the time this happened because the truck landed where many of our employees sit to work and greet people,” Johad said.

By the time this reporter arrived on the scene, a wrecker had already removed the vehicle from the building, and police officers who responded to the incident had already done their jobs and left.

The woman was coming from east heading west and somehow found herself in the furniture store. And while she said she lost control of the vehicle, there were no skid marks on the road or the furniture store’s grounds that would show signs of someone attempting to stop a truck.

The brothers were skeptical about the reason given for the incident, but none of that mattered to them. “We’re just thankful that the lady is okay,” Jahad said.

Carlos Furniture, which marks its 20th anniversary this September, started operations in 1997 and has grown to become the largest furniture store on St. Croix. Known for its wide variety of items, the company recently opened a store in St. Thomas out of the Tutu Park Mall.