Several people walked by the Apple Store at the Derby Street Shops in Hingham, Massachusetts, moments before a car crashed into it Monday morning, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others. Witnesses were shocked at the thought that it could just has easily have been them.
One witness, who identified herself as Ann, told NBC10 Boston that she was inside Barnes and Noble having a coffee with a new coworker when the crash happened. The pair work at NIC+ZOE, a women's clothing store at the Derby Street Shops.
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"All of a sudden we hear this, I don't want to say explosion but a bang, a very loud bang. So we jumped up from the table and we looked out the window and we could see the hole in the Apple Store. And she had seen a car go by so she was like 'Oh my god that car just went through the Apple Store,'" Ann said. "Not just like a glass breaking or something like that. It was a very long bang."
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A dark colored SUV went through the plate glass window and struck multiple people shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, according to authorities. At least one person was killed and 16 others were injured in the crash, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said in an update Monday. Of those injured, 14 people were taken to South Shore hospitals and two were taken to Boston hospitals.
The coworkers had just walked by the Apple Store to get the coffee and decided to stop for a minute.
"We could have been walking back by," Ann said, breaking into tears. "So my heart goes out to all the employees of Apple and all the customers that were in that store because nobody should be dealing with this holiday week. Nobody."
The shopping center is located on Derby Street, off of Route 3. It was busy with shoppers Monday morning, NBC10 Boston's Eli Rosenberg noted, including with people who are visiting for the holiday. It is a popular shopping area. Many shoppers like Ann shared their shock at the thought that it could just has easily have been them.
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"I was just walking to Whole Foods when I heard the explosion and I walked toward here just to check what happened," another witness said. "And I saw like a big car...A lot of people were running. I guess someone called 911... I don't understand how someone drives that fast around here. It's crazy."
"Been praying for the lady that helped me," said Apple customer David Sheehan. "Her name was Alyssa, I hope she's alright."
Sheehan was inside the store for an appointment minutes before the crash.
"I was in here from 10:20 to 10:40," he said. "I left at 10:40 and went to the gym and I saw it on the news that it happened at 10:45."
Sheehan says the shop was crowded Monday morning. He says he feels fortunate he left in time, but wanted to come back to the scene hours later.
"I felt I wanted to do something so I returned and said a prayer for the people that were inside," he said.
"This is absolutely insane," said David Ray, who was planning to go to the Apple Store before the crash happened. "My heart's still racing."
The Apple Store opened for the day at 10 a.m. The store is described as being fairly small, with not a lot of space between the front of the building and the merchandise tables.
