Lakeside auto shop partially collapsed by crash to remain open through repairs
GoFundMe campaign established to help replace technicians’ personal tools after crash at Hilliard Automotive
The Lakeside auto shop that partially collapsed after being struck by a truck Wednesday is continuing operations throughout the repair process, according to its owner, as it works to help fund the replacement of its employees’ tools and its own equipment that was destroyed in the incident.
No one was injured during the crash, which occurred July 1 when the driver of a Toyota Tacoma truck lost control and smashed into one of the two buildings on the site of Hilliard Automotive at the intersection of Brook Road and Hilliard Road.
The crash happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. – just as the last of the shop’s employees was leaving for the day.
“As he was leaving the area he turned back and saw smoke,” owner Patrick Ketchum told the Citizen. “He thought that the building was on fire, turned around to look at it and saw what had happened.”
Had the incident, apparently caused when the driver became distracted, happened even minutes earlier, two of the shop’s five employees likely would have been in the part of the building that was struck, Ketchum said.
“We’re just grateful to God first of all that no one was hurt,” he said, “ because that would have been an unacceptable loss.”
The building that was struck housed the company’s primary work area, with two service bays and vehicle lifts, but a second building on the site also has two bays and lifts, allowing operations to continue, Ketchum said. The shop has extended its hours to try to work through all scheduled repairs.
But, Ketchum said, the shop’s automotive technicians suffered significant losses of equipment and personal tools that were housed in the damaged building.
“Many people don't realize that automotive technicians typically own their own professional tools, which can represent personal investments of tens of thousands of dollars — and in some cases, over $100,000,” he said. “Our biggest priority is getting our tools back for the guys. Mechanics spend a lifetime building up those tools – a lot of times they’re still making payments on those tools.”
The shop has started a GoFundMe campaign to help replace those tools that were damaged or lost in the crash.
The shop itself lost equipment valued at about $100,000, Ketchum said, but insurance will cover less than half of what was lost.
The building that was damaged was a total loss, he said, and it will be several months at a minimum before a new building can be completed. In the meantime, Ketchum, who has owned the shop for about three years, is working to find additional bays at other local auto shops that Hilliard Automotive can use or rent.
The Lakeside and Brook Road corridors are home to numerous such shops, and Ketchum said he’s grateful for all the support, texts and calls he’s received from many of them as well as the community at large.
“We are deeply thankful for the support and loyalty our community has already shown our small business during this difficult time,” he said. “Our guys have been astounding, super resilient. We’re still taking customers’ cars, servicing them any way we can.”
