Victoria Funeral Home in Aberdeen has said their building would have to “be demolished” for them to close.
Despite a white MG car driving through one of their windows only an hour before, the team on Victoria Road were still typing away on keyboards and making calls.
Speaking only moments after their entire shopfront had been smashed into pieces, they insisted “we have have families to look after”.
Both their window-front and their granite wall was smashed this afternoon after a two-car collision on the Torry street.
Despite that, owner David Crighton, alongside partner Susan, 63, and best-friend William ‘Billy’ Bruce told The Press and Journal – “the show must go on”.
Speaking amongst the rubble, they say bereaved families are still counting on them, despite the state of the shop.
Billy, 63, said: “We need to stay open for the dignity and the respect of the families that we are looking after.
“The funeral home has to remain open.
“We will do everything that we can so there is not any stress for anyone coming in to see their loved ones at rest.
“We have got families that we are essentially looking after, you really don’t want to add stress to families at any already difficult time.”
Victoria Funeral Home to remain open despite crash scene
David, 68, said: “The show must go on. We will be remaining open.”
Susan added: “It would really have to be serious for us to close, the building I think would have to be demolished.
“David is here on Christmas and Boxing Day.”
The staff at Victoria Funeral Directors, could still be seen hard at work only an hour after the accident.
“We’ve got to say to these people, everything else we can deal with behind closed doors in the office,” Billy continued.
“This car business won’t affect the customers loved ones, that’s the main thing. That’s the main reason for staying open”.
The crew on Victoria Road have already put the call in with a local joinery company to mend their broken window.
They hope to have the gap boarded up by night-time and a new window fitted in the near future.
But in the meantime, it’s business as usual – despite a chilly draft.
When asked about the incident, Billy didn’t seem to be phased, “nobody escaped,” he joked.
“It will be boarded up soon which is good, and we have the blinds and the shutter which protects the shop from the elements which is the main thing.”
Road reopens after crash
Victoria Road was closed temporarily while the two cars were recovered this afternoon.
It is understood the vehicle was involved in a collision with another car before it ended up crashing into the shopfront of Victoria Funeral Home.
The incident happened at around 12.25pm and involved a white MG and a blue Fiat 500.
The road is now open and sand has been used to cover any small debris.
It is understood that no-one has been injured as a result of the incident.
A nearby shop owner, who did not want to be named, told the P&J that they made the call to emergency services after witnessing what happened and described the noise as being “like a bomb going off”.