On Sept. 9 at 11:50 a.m., a woman driver hit the gas pedal of her car, instead of the brakes, and drove through the front window of Curves in Falcon, all the way to the back of the store ñ creating a path of destruction that shut down the store for almost two months.ìWe were just very, very fortunate,î said Jenni Mathews, owner of the franchise. ìI usually have 10 to 15 women at that time.î Most of the members had been delayed that morning for one reason or another. An employee was injured, but Mathews said she should return to work in about a month.In late October, Mathews reopened the store, but sheís still waiting on the insurance company. ìThe insurance company is slow,î she said. ìUSAA has been great. It’s slow because it’s not something they are used to doing; slowly but surely we’re getting things there.î Mathews said the insurance company is covering everything from the accident.People are amazed that the driver went all the way through the store, Mathews said. ìShe stopped short of the back. Pretty much everything is new except the bathroom stuff. That’s the one thing she didn’t destroy,î she said, adding that ìaccidents happen.î However, trying to recover as a business owner is the ìhard part,î Mathews said. It is not known whether the driver had been talking on her cell phone when she drove through the front of the store; however, Mathews said the insurance company said incidents like this one arenít that unusual when someone is on the phone while driving.ìYou don’t want to talk on your cell phones, especially when you park, because it causes stuff like that,î she said.No other Curves franchise has had a car go all the way through to the back of the store, Mathews said. The store suspended membership fees during the restoration.Mathews said she has missed her members. She bought Curves to promote womenís health.ìI want them to be healthy Ö taking care of themselves so they can take care of their families,î she said. ìAs long as they are in here doing something, it works great. It’s just been fabulous. Having them stay mobile is what’s important to me.î
