A barber told KHOU 11 News that a 10-year-old boy who got hurt in the crash and had to undergo surgery is now out of the hospital and recovering.
HOUSTON — 32 Degreez Barbershop is back up and running one week after a car plowed through the business, and several other storefronts, on Westheimer Road near Highway 6 in west Houston.
Houston police said a 61-year-old man lost control of his vehicle while accidentally keeping his foot on the gas, backing up into the building from a parking spot just after noon on Dec. 14. HPD said three people were hurt, including a young boy.
Barbershop owner Darrick Brown said he reopened his doors on Friday and credits the whole community – from contract workers fixing the walls to loved ones buying broken supplies – for being able to open so quickly.
“Everybody came together, you know, because you know, friends, family, everybody was showing up, coming to help, and we were just moving, we were getting everything,” Brown said. “It’s a beautiful thing, man, and then look. Real nice. Like it never happened. A week later.”
Brown said one of his biggest priorities was to reopen his barbershop before Christmas.
“A lot of my clients were calling. A lot of them have very important things to do, and I wanted to make sure that we were open so I could take care of them,” Brown said.
Tire marks can still be seen on the floor, and Brown said his business sustained at least $50,000 in damages. But he is thankful everyone who was hurt is doing okay – especially the young boy, who Brown said he is planning something for.
“That kid got really injured, and I want him to know that we love him, and we care about him,” Brown said.
Barber Chez Robertson said he was just seconds away from cutting that boy’s hair last Saturday, before the car rammed through the wall.
“Him being my client made it kind of personal for me,” Robertson said.
Robertson said he has been talking with the boy’s mother, and he said she told him the boy had to undergo surgery and have fluid from his lungs drained. Robertson said he was so glad to hear that the boy was discharged from the hospital a few days ago and is safely recovering at home.
“It gave me a huge sense of relief, you know, a lot of pressure off my shoulders,” Robertson said. “I checked on him several times at the hospital, stayed in contact with his mom. I almost feel like he’s like my little brother or my son, so I was very concerned about him, so like I said, huge sigh of relief that he pulled through and that he’s going to make a full recovery.”
Customers packed 32 Degreez Barbershop on Saturday, including Tyrus Williams. Williams said he has been coming to get his hair cut there every two weeks for the past 10 years. He had an appointment for last Saturday, but when he came to the barbershop, he saw all the destruction from the car crash.
“It was kind of wild, because I didn’t expect it to happen,” Williams said. “I left and told Darrick to call me whenever the shop got back up and running, so I could come back and get my hair cut.”
Williams said it was important for him to come back to 32 Degreez specifically, and he is thrilled to see that business has gone back to normal.
“If it’s not one of the barbers up in 32 Degreez, I wouldn’t go nowhere. Everybody here is pretty good at what they do, and we all family,” Williams said. “It’s good to see everyone back, and nothing has changed. It’s still the same 32 Degreez.”
Last week, Houston police told KHOU 11 News that the driver of the car that drove through the barbershop will be found at fault, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
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