Larry’s Won’t Reopen For At Least Two Months Following Extensive Damage From Vehicle Crash

CHATHAM – It will be two months, at the very least, before Larry’s P.X. can open again.

 Owner Jay Case said that an insurance adjuster was at the West Chatham restaurant last Friday to assess the damage, although it won’t be until January that an engineer reviews the structure to ensure that it is sound.

 “There’s a lot of damage inside,” Case noted.

 That damage happened when an SUV drove into the front entrance to the Shop Ahoy Plaza restaurant the morning of Nov. 27. The vehicle managed to squeeze between two traffic bollards, crash through the front door and plow through the lobby almost to the kitchen.

Six staff members and seven customers were inside at the time. One patron, Jonathan Cahoon, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while employee Leah Moxam was severely injured with a ruptured bladder, fractured pelvis, spinal fracture and other internal injuries. She has had multiple surgeries and remains in a Boston hospital. 

Case said he spoke with Moxam on the phone. “She sounded good,” he said. According to a GoFundMe page set up for her, Moxam will face a long recovery and could end up being handicapped for life. A post on the page Monday said she had been moved to a wheelchair and is eager to walk.

 “We just wait every day for word from her,” Case said. As of Monday, Moxam’s GoFundMe page had raised more than $40,000. Another $36,000 had been raised to help other Larry’s staffers meet living expenses, with that money matched by the Pals For Life Foundation. Local glass artist Vangie Collins was also raising money for the workers by selling custom-made glass beads.

Case said he anticipates an aggressive repair schedule to get Larry’s open. Replacement for equipment that was damaged or destroyed must be ordered, and the cleanup will take some time. About 12 staff members will be out of work until the restaurant can reopen.

 “They want to get it back and going,” Case said. “We’re a family.”

Case, who has owned the restaurant for 31 years, said he’s not worried about losing customers. “They love this place. They’ll be right back here,” he said. In the meantime, he said he hoped other local restaurants will see an increase in breakfast and lunch businesses as Larry’s patrons find alternatives to the West Chatham eatery. Many will benefit over the holidays, he added, noting that last New Year’s Day, Larry’s served 600 meals at breakfast.

A number of Case’s workers were helping to clean up debris last week. While he worries a bit about the extensive work triggering upgrades to other aspects of the old building, he expects when patrons finally return they won’t notice much difference.

 “As far as I know everything is going back to the way it was,” he said. “We want to keep Larry’s looking like Larry’s.”