Car crashes into Simpsonville business

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) - A business in downtown Simpsonville was damaged Tuesday morning when a car crashed into it. According to the Simpsonville Fire Department, firefighters were called Tuesday morning around 4:30 to a reported crash involving a car and a building. Photos shared by the fire department show a car drove over the sidewalk, through a window and into Run In at the intersection of Curtis and Main streets. Simpsonville Fire Department reported the building sustained moderate damage, but no injuries were reported. According to Simpsonville Police Department, the driver of the car was charged with reckless driving and driving without a license. Dane Simmons, the owner of Run In said when he saw the damage on his phone before getting to the store, he thought his friends were playing a joke. “I actually thought it was an AI image," Simmons said. "My buddy sent me a photo and I go 'Oh you’re joking this is funny,' and I talked to my general manager and it was not in fact a fake image -- it was real.” The area is a typically congested, so for others passing by, the damage was just as shocking. “I just saw that it was open and there was glass all over and I really didn’t know what happened," Simpsonville resident, Meline Wareham said. "I live just up the street and I didn’t hear like a tornado or anything like that. So it was shocking in a way.” Despite the damage, Simmons was in good spirits. Although he says some merchandise inside was ruined. “Kind of looked like a hurricane had come through," Simmons said. "A lot of our fixtures were ruined, all the inventory that was on display was ruined. It was just kind of a hodgepodge mess everywhere and a lot of glass.” Simmons said he’s been at this location for five years. He said the building's owners have been great and quickly sent help to board up windows. Over the next couple of days Run In employees continue to be in cleanup mode but Simmons hopes to be reopened by the end of the week. “We’re going to make sure the space is safe for customers and our community and just get back to it as quickly as we can," Simmons said. Simmons says Run In will still host their group run on Thursday at 6 pm.