Vehicle crashes into store, wrecks 'American dream'

Durham police officers arrived shortly before 2 a.m. to Hairizon Beauty Oasis on West Main Street to find the driver still inside his 2000 Chevrolet Blazer, which had smashed through the front of the store. He was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Police said the driver – Javier Villaneuva Ziranda Francisco, 39, of Durham – was intoxicated and had been in another crash about 10 minutes earlier. The first wreck was a hit-and-run at the intersection of Liberty Street and Miami Boulevard.

Francisco was going the wrong way on Morris Street when he crossed West main and rammed into the store, police said.

He was charged with driving while impaired, driving while license revoked and going the wrong way on a one-way street.

Store owner Valerie Jackson said she was awakened by a 2 a.m. phone call from the fire department. The news was a shock for Jackson, who opened the business with her daughter two years ago.

“We really believed in the American dream,” she said. “We wanted to promote small business in Durham.”

The mother-daughter team saved up and sacrificed to open the business, and they recently received an $11,000 grant from the city to help spur growth.

“We were excited about moving to the next level with our store,” Jackson said. “It will come – it’s just not going to be as soon as we thought.”