Town Rallies Around Larry’s Victims After Crash

CHATHAM – Jay Case, owner of Larry’s P.X., was touched by the outpouring of support from the community after a car crashed through his restaurant last Wednesday morning. 

“You wouldn’t get this in a big city,” said Case. “It’s wonderful to see it.” 

Fundraising efforts for his staff — one of whom was severely injured and all of whom are out of work for the foreseeable future — have flooded local news and social media platforms, amassing over $50,000 in donations from crowdsourcing pages, local organizations and art sales. Organizers want residents to know that their efforts are not over. GoFundMe campaigns continue and a fundraiser is being planned for early January.

At approximately 9:20 a.m. on Nov. 27, Patricia DuVall, 71, crashed her 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid into Larry’s, located in the Shop Ahoy plaza in West Chatham, injuring two people. 

 “I feel absolutely horrible for everyone involved,” DuVall said this week. “I am still in shock, completely traumatized and deeply remorseful.” 

 The small SUV careened off another vehicle, according to police, and went between two safety bollards installed at the parking spots in front of the restaurant entrance. The car crashed through the front door, past the checkout counter and landed front end-first just shy of the kitchen. 

 Case said there were six employees and seven patrons inside at the time. 

Chatham police, firefighters and EMTs arrived on scene quickly. Leah Moxam, a Larry’s employee, was trapped between the vehicle and structure when police arrived. After being freed by rescue personnel, she was taken by ambulance to South Shore Hospital where it was determined she had severe injuries. Jonathan Cahoon, a local realtor, was transported to Cape Cod Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

“Thank you to the first responders,” said Cahoon. “The Chatham police and firefighters did a fantastic job, I can’t thank them enough.”

DuVall was evaluated at the scene and determined to be uninjured. She said her airbags did not deploy. 

The Barnstable County Technical Rescue Team arrived onsite to secure the area, assessing structural and utility damage. By 11:43 a.m., all rescue teams had secured the building and left the scene. 

According to the Chatham Police, preliminary reports indicated that while trying to park, DuVall accelerated causing her SUV to collide with a parked vehicle and then hit the restaurant’s front entrance and enter the building. The investigation remains open.

DuVall’s license was administratively suspended by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, according to police. DuVall has the option to appeal the suspension. 

Case couldn’t thank his staff enough for helping to clean up the restaurant. He is waiting for a disaster team to come in next week and assess the damage. He could not say at this point when the popular eatery will reopen, but said he is more worried about his staff.

“Leah is my main priority right now,” said Case. “The restaurant, to me, means nothing right now.” 

Hours after the crash, multiple GoFundMe pages were created in support of Larry's staff, manager Nicole Squires and Moxam, who is still recovering from a broken pelvis, ruptured bladder, spinal fractures and internal bleeding. 

Pals For Life, a local nonprofit foundation, matched around $23,000 raised through the GoFundMe page for Larry’s employees, putting the total raised at around $50,000. The money will go to help the staff pay living expenses while the restaurant is closed. 

The foundation was started in 1995 to raise emergency funds for a local Chatham bartender who suffered a debilitating injury and couldn’t work. Since then, the foundation has supported hospitality workers on Cape Cod who have experienced sudden hardship and need immediate financial assistance. The PFL board of directors is made up of local restaurant owners and workers, including president Micheal Giorgio, who owns Red Nun Bar and Grill. Treasurer Amy Tagliaferri and bookkeeper Ashley Kilgallon were instrumental in setting up the page and matching donations. 

Local Artist Vangie Collins was quick to fundraise independently for the staff, selling handmade glass beads featuring a Larry’s breakfast staple. “What do I eat every time I go to Larry’s?” asked Collins. “I get two eggs over easy, homefries and dry rye toast — the [theme had to be] an egg!” 

Using just her Facebook page and word of mouth, Collins sold 166 beads in the first week, raising $3,855. She said she will continue her fundraising efforts until community members don’t want to purchase the beads anymore. Interested parties can contact her via email at vangie@vclampwork.com or call 603-321-2260 to place an order. 

Collins' charitable drive inspired a group of local residents to come together and plan an in-person benefit to support the staff. Kellie Trombi, along with nine other community members (including Collins), created the Larry’s Angels Committee. They will be hosting an event on Wednesday, Jan. 8 between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Knots Landing New England Pizza with auction items and raffle prizes. 

The committee is made up of Knots Landing co-owner Sophia Malita, Justine McNevin, Christine Dubis, Heather Miller, Nina Gagarin, Ginny Nickerson, Richard Johnston and Moxam’s daughter, Adrianna Saglibene. With the help of Knots Landing co-owner Philip Malitas and guest bartender Jamie Edwards of Milanos, Trombi is expecting a great turnout. 

 Although details for the event haven’t been finalized, Trombi said tickets will be sold at restaurants and shops around town. 

 To support any of these fundraisers, visit the links below:

Larry’s Staff GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/helplarryspxemployees?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Leah Moxam GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-leah-moxams-healing-journey?qid=6fbe5c254c383483ab95ba55ae981b87

Nicole Squires (Manager) GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-nicole-squires-after-workplace-accident?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook

Vangie Collins Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vclampwork.beads