Truck crash displaces residents and temporarily closes Menomonee Falls salon

Pink Lemonade Salon & Spa in Menomonee Falls has temporarily closed after a truck crashed into the building it occupies around 6:30 p.m. Friday. The collision also displaced residents of the property, which houses both businesses and residences. The Menomonee Falls Fire Department said the driver was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee and that no one else was injured.

Salon owner Jamie Kolatzki said the business had already closed for the evening when the truck struck. She expressed relief that no one else was hurt and concern for the driver. According to Kolatzki, hers was the only business closed at the time, a circumstance she was grateful for because the crash did not injure anyone else.

Next door, Just Kiln Time owner Chrissy Shepard was inside her business with several customers. Shepard said she believed the driver had experienced a medical emergency. She also expressed relief about the timing, saying she believed an earlier crash could have struck her building while customers were inside.

Fire officials said the impact compromised the structure at the corner of the building. Before the truck could be removed, a restoration company had to shore up and stabilize that area. Pink Lemonade hairstylist Jordan Robinson described glass scattered throughout the scene and a fallen light pole, saying she had never seen anything like the aftermath.

The building's occupants cannot return until the property is deemed structurally stable, according to the fire department. Kolatzki said the displaced residents had places to stay and people supporting them. She hoped they would be able to return quickly once the building was safe.

For salon employees, the closure comes as the holiday season approaches. Robinson said that period is normally busy and exciting for clients. The interruption has left her concerned about her family, her job and the community, as well as what the coming weeks will look like for the business.

Kolatzki said the salon would definitely remain closed Monday, with hopes that the structure could be declared safe. Missing windows alone would not prevent staff from working, she said, provided the building was safe to occupy.

Both Kolatzki and Robinson expressed appreciation for the community support the salon had already received following the crash.