Emergency responders were called Tuesday morning to 115 Early Blvd., Rhinestones-N-Lace, regarding a vehicle that had crashed into the building.
According to business owner Kim Gilliam, police called her around 2:30 a.m., stating that a vehicle had hit the sign in front of the building causing it to crash into the front wall of the business.
The occupants of the car, according to Early Chief of Police David Mercer, were three females in their early 20s who were headed home. The designated driver was completely sober, according to Mercer; however, one of the passengers was not. When the passenger woke up during their drive, she was startled and grabbed the driver, causing the vehicle to go off of the roadway and hit the sign. The vehicle then spun around and struck building according to Mercer.
One of the occupants was transported to Brownwood Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries according to Mercer.
Owner Kim Gilliam stated that her clothing and accessories store will remain open unless repairs require her to close for a short time.
“If we do have to close for any amount of time, we’ll definitely have an “opening back up” sale with one heck of a sale,” said Guilliam.
Gilliam stated that she had bought the store in August of 2012 and that this is the first business she has ever owned. Prior to this store, Gilliam worked at Brown County Sheriff’s Office and as an investigator at Texas Youth Commission.
She stated business has doubled since opening in 2012, and that today is a temporary interruption filled with visits from insurance adjustors for both the vehicle and the building.
The accident is under investigation and no arrests or citations had been issued at the time of the report, said Mercer.
