When a Car Drove into a Pharmacy at 4pm – and How AMPM Had It Open Again by Morning

It was just after 4pm on an ordinary afternoon in Wivenhoe when things took a turn that no one could have predicted. A car had mounted the curb and driven straight into the front of the local pharmacy. The impact shattered the glass frontage, sent the door flying into the shop, tore through shelving and brought down part of the wall.

Within minutes, the area was cordoned off, staff were safely evacuated, and the police were on scene. But behind the flashing lights and the broken glass was another urgent problem – how to make the site safe, secure and ready for business again as quickly as possible. That is where we came in.

Accidents Happen - Why Reactive Maintenance is Key

At AM Planned Maintenance, we specialise in responding to incidents like this through our reactive maintenance and emergency repair services. Our clients trust us to turn chaos into calm, to restore order after the unexpected. And on this occasion, every minute mattered.

By 6pm, just two hours after the incident, our engineers were already on site. That was 50% faster than our standard emergency maintenance response time, and it meant the Pharmacy staff didn’t have to wait late into the evening for help to arrive. When they locked up and went home, they could do so knowing the building was in safe hands.

The damage was extensive. The impact had left the window and frame completely destroyed, the door and vestibule buckled, and live electrical wires exposed from the fire alarm and lighting systems. But our engineers are used to working in unpredictable conditions, often in the middle of the night and under pressure to deliver fast, safe results.

From early evening through to the small hours, three of our skilled engineers worked continuously, removing broken glass, twisted metal and loose brickwork. By 5.30am, they had cleared the debris, made the structure safe, and built a temporary front to secure the store. Every exposed wire was isolated and made safe, the open frontage was sealed, and the site was left clean, secure and weatherproof.

In total, our team spent 23 hours on site – a full overnight shift that ensured the store could reopen the next morning as planned. While most of Wivenhoe was waking up to the news of the crash, pharmacy staff were opening their doors as usual, with customers able to walk in and shop as if nothing had happened just hours before.

Reactive Maintenance in action - a new secure, weatherproof temporary entrance

But we didn’t stop there. As soon as the site was safe and the store operational, one of our engineers began building a new vestibule. The replacement wasn’t a quick patch job. It was a full rebuild – complete with a new locking door, waterproof roofing, and a professional finish that restored the store’s appearance and security. Within days, the new entrance was fully installed and signed off.

This kind of rapid, coordinated response is what AM Planned Maintenance is built for. Whether it is storm damage, vandalism, a burst pipe or a car in the shopfront, we bring the same mix of speed, skill and professionalism to every call-out. Our reactive maintenance teams are equipped to handle structural, electrical and glazing emergencies, often working through the night to keep our clients open and operational.

For the pharmacy, this meant minimal disruption. For us, it was another example of what our engineers do best; stepping in when things go wrong and putting them right before anyone even realises they were broken.

So, while a car driving through a shopfront might sound like the kind of event that shuts a business down for days, our engineers proved otherwise. Within two hours, we were on site. Within one night, we had made it safe. And by morning, the doors were open again.

That is what reactive maintenance looks like when it is done right. Swift action, expert workmanship, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing that when the unexpected happens, we are ready to respond.