Cleanup in produce after crash into Cronig’s

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Updated June 25

A crash at Up-Island Cronig’s supermarket sent some groceries flying off the shelves Sunday afternoon at around 4.

Photos show potatoes strewn across the floor, as well as other items. There also appeared to be a broken pipe at the scene with water coming from it.

A woman in the produce section told Times columnist Valerie Sonnenthal, “It sounded like an earthquake.” There were only a handful of people in the store at the time, and there were no injuries.

West Tisbury Police Sgt. Matt Gebo told The Times no charges will be sought against the female operator of a Chevy Traverse, who appears to have mistaken the gas and brake pedals while attempting to park. However, Sgt. Gebo said a Registry notification may be sent regarding the issue. He declined to name the driver or provide her age. He described the damage to the vehicle as “significant enough to where it needed to be towed from the scene.” Officer Jeremie Rogers responded to the accident, he noted. 

A woman who answered the phone at Cronig’s owner Steve Bernier’s home said he hadn’t been to the store, and would have no comment. “The staff has it under control,” she said.

Another photograph from the scene shows damage to the outside of the building. The wall is pushed in, and shingles are splintered. By Sunday evening, the damage had been covered by plywood.

The vehicle strike doesn’t appear to have caused structural damage, West Tisbury building inspector Joe Tierney said on Monday. An engineer examined the scene and affirmed that opinion, he said. Contractor David Willoughby has been operating in an emergency capacity, but will pull a permit to button things up, he said. There will be electrical work and plumbing work to do, he said, but there was no Freon leakage.

Cronig’s systems manager Brynn Schaffner said it was “amazing” no Freon pipes broke; they were merely shifted and bent. In addition to building materials, shelving, produce, and salad dressing were destroyed, he said. It was lucky nobody was standing in the area at the time of impact, he said. Cronig’s expects to have the damage fixed quickly, he said, and the store remains open for business. 

Updated with information from West Tisbury police.