'It Sounded Like a Bomb Went Off'

In the nearly 20 years he’s owned Rosvold Pharmacy, Thomas Stehr hasn’t closed once.

So you’d think he’d give himself a break, take a day off, after an SUV barreled through the front of his business.

Nope.

Stehr was back behind the counter Thursday, less than 24 hours after a customer plowed his Ford Edge into the 50-year-old pharmacy on Route 130, nearly taking out one whole half of the store.

“It was loud, fast. It sounded like a bomb went off,” said Stehr, seated behind his desk in a small cubicle in a corner of the pharmacy.

His wife, Ronny, was seated at the same desk Wednesday afternoon, when the SUV smashed through the glass. She was so startled, she said, she ducked under the desk.

Stehr said the gentleman behind the wheel had come into the pharmacy to fill a prescription, left, and immediately came back in—while still behind the wheel.

“I guess he forgot something,” Stehr joked, though he admits being somewhat shaken immediately after the accident.

“I just feel very blessed (no one was hurt),” he said. “There was actually a girl standing right in that area … She heard the engine rev and moved out of the way just in time.”

Had she not moved, it could have been tragic. The SUV was all the way inside the store, its back tires several feet into the aisle. Besides the obvious shock of having an automobile drive through the front of your business, Stehr was also surprised how deep the SUV got into the store, since the distance between the parking lot and the front of the building is minimal.

“He came in so fast, I actually looked out at the highway to see the rest of the accident,” he said.

According to Stehr, the customer believed his foot got stuck on the gas. Stehr was magnanimous Thursday, harboring no ill will or resentment.

“It’s an accident,” he said matter-of-factly. “We’ve been through ups and downs over 50 years. We can withstand some construction.”

A structural engineer stopped by Rosvold Thursday morning and determined the building had sustained some structural damage. So an upgrade/replacement of the front of the store is in order, but it’s nothing they can’t handle, said Stehr, who bought the business from Robert Rosvold back in 1995.

He and Ronny assured customers they’re still open for business—they kept serving patrons even while police and emergency services worked to remove the SUV—and have no plans to close, even temporarily.

“We have a great customer base, that stays loyal to us,” said Stehr.