Popular Avon Pizzeria Reopens After Vehicle Slams Into Building: UPDATE

AVON, CT — As promised, a local pizzeria that was abruptly closed on Monday afternoon after a vehicle slammed into the building has now reopened a day later.

According to the owners of E & D Pizza Co., which is located at 200 W. Main St., Avon, the pizzeria has reopened on Tuesday after it was closed on Monday evening, Nov. 24, following the crash.

E & D Pizza said a temporary wall was quickly built by construction crews with help from the town.

The reopening comes after a harrowing start to the week.

According to the owners, someone driving on Route 44 apparently suffered a medical emergency and "crashed into the side of our building."

"Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt," wrote E & D Pizza.

The owners of the take-out operation, however, said after the accident that they planned to reopen the next day, which they did.

E & D posted an image of the vehicle on its Facebook page, one showing a dark-colored SUV apparently jumping over the curb and into the building, with the wall completely caved in.

The interior of the operation was visible from outside the crash scene.

Avon police said the crash happened at about 1:08 p.m.

"The operator of the vehicle was the only person involved; there appears to have been a medical event prior to the accident," wrote Avon Police Department spokesman Lt. John F. Schmalberger.

He said the operator went to John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington with the complaint of back pain, but no apparent injury.

Schmalberger said the Avon Fire Marshall’s Office and the Avon Building Inspector went to check the building structure and found it to be structurally sound.

He said E & D was to be closed Monday night while a temporary wall replaces the damaged wall.

E & D and its Neopolitan-style pies made the recent Connecticut Pizza Trail, which was heavily promoted this year by the Connecticut Tourism Office.