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Winchester Police believe ice to be the determining factor behind an accident on Swanton Street Saturday evening that caused a car to crash through the wall of Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery.
Lt. Ed Donohue said the driver, who lives in the area, was on his way home Dec. 21 when he tried to take a left on Florence Street. The driver told police the car in front of him slammed on its brakes, causing him to try to avoid it.
The driver said his car skidded and struck Mamadou’s electrical panel, going through the wall.
Donohue said the damage to the driver’s car was consistent to his story. He added the driver was not intoxicated or impaired and was uninjured.
He said the damage to Mamadou’s was the loss of both power and heat as well as the hole in the wall.
The power will probably be out at the 63 Swanton St. business until Eversource is able to restore it.
In the meantime, the bakery’s owners, Mamadou and Mame Mbaye, were on site Sunday, cleaning up the damaged area and boarding it up.
Both said they were shocked and were trying to figure out what to do since this is the bakery’s busiest time of the year.
“We have no idea what’s happening,” Mamadou Mbaye said Sunday. “We’re going to be closed until we sort things out. Right now, everything is up in the air.”
Residents have started a GoFundMe page for the couple to help out.
Both Mamadou Mbaye and his wife said they were home Saturday when they received a call from police shortly after 6 o’clock about the accident.
“It was shocking,” said Mame Mbaye. “We were closed and we had to rush to get here. When we got here, everyone was here…the police, fire department….they were waiting for us.”
Mamadou Mbaye said when the couple arrived on the scene, they found the side wall completely open.
