Car plows into Pawtucket, RI storefront

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- A driver's dangerous turn sent a car crashing into a Rhode Island candy store.

Police said the driver of that car lost control and plowed right into the building.

Nick Hindy, 33, was closing shop at his Pawtucket candy store around 5:30 p.m. Thursday as Lionel Messier was driving down Central Avenue.

Messier said another driver ran a stop sign in front of him, and he tried to swerve.

“I kept trying to avoid him, but he kept coming and coming...eventually I had to hit the building," Messier said.

Mike Ross was taking a nap in the apartment upstairs.

"I was in bed, it actually knocked me out of bed and the bureau on the side of my bed fell on me," Ross said.

Everyone involved escaped without injury.

However, Hindy is left cleaning up a store that's more than just a business. The store, called “Candy from Heaven,” is a tribute to his daughter Lori who died of cancer 16 years ago.

“There's not a day my tears don't fill. She’s my life and she’s still my life. Every part of my day I’m with her in the candy store,” Hindy said.

Now the family is turning to their angel again, thanking her for the lives saved and asking for the strength to rebuild.

“I don't think she had a role. I know she had a role. She's the reason we're okay," Hindy said.

Despite all this damage, the building inspector checked it out and determined the shop and the apartments above are structurally sound.

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