ANKENY, Iowa — The unimaginable happened to Fit To Be Tied Shoes of Ankeny after a truck bulldozed through its storefront, ending at the back of the store.
The shoe store was left covered in glass and rubble after the truck driver lost control and drove straight through Sunday afternoon.
"[The driver] shot through the wall, collided with the side of my wall, knocked all my display shoes off, pushed three or four tables and a bunch of sock racks back through the back wall into the mechanical room," said Ryan Martin, owner of Fit To Be Tied Shoes.
Court documents reveal the driver does not remember leaving the road and colliding with the store.
Two people were inside the store with no injuries but shaken up.
"[One customer] was in shock," Martin said. "He said he didn't notice him until he was halfway in the store. He came in that fast, and glass just shot everywhere. We still have a lot of cleaning to do."
The truck took out the entire storefront, hitting the back of the store, just missing the water main by about a foot.
The driver went through the busiest part of the store and destroyed almost 600 pairs of shoes off the main display wall.
"You couldn't even walk to the back," Martin said. "There was just rubble everywhere."
Court documents say the driver was slurring his words and admitted to drinking alcohol before driving.
The entire situation is something Martin is still wrapping his head around.
"It was something you don't really think about going to happen to you or anybody else, but when it does, it's pretty shocking," Martin said.
Fit To Be Tied Shoes of Ankeny is looking ahead and working to reopen as soon as possible. Martin says it could reopen as soon as this weekend.
"Probably put a band aid on it for now and reopen for business," Martin said.
In the meantime, Fit To Be Tied also has a location in West Des Moines inside the Valley West Mall.