Dari de Lite considers rebuilding for 2023 season following car crash through building

Tough decisions lie ahead for the owners of Dari de Lite on Howard Avenue after a dramatic collision at the popular ice cream spot when an SUV drove through the building.

“It was quite a commotion here on Halloween night,” says J.P. Malette, whose family owns Dari de Lite.

Around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, an SUV driving southbound on Howard Ave. veered across the northbound lanes, over a curb, across a neighbouring lawn and into the building.

According to Malette, the driver of the vehicle apparently had a medical event but ultimately walked away from the crash.

J.P. Malette talks about the future of his family’s business, Dari de Lite, in Windsor, Ont. on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. An SUV drove through the building on Oct. 31, 2022. (Rich Garton/CTV News Windsor)

“The first thing we were mostly concerned about making sure that the driver was okay. We heard pretty quickly that he was taken to the hospital,” said Malette, noting he was later released.

The seasonal business had already closed for the season a few weeks prior. There were no cars in the lot and no people at the stand at the time of the incident.

“It is miraculous. The pictures we saw, one foot to the right, could have hit a load bearing wall,” he said. “It could have been quite different.”

Their attention quickly turned to the condition of the ice cream shop.

Three of four side walls were damaged in the collision as well as the roof and many of contents in the store were damaged.

An SUV drives through Dari de Lite on Howard Ave. in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (Rich Garton/CTV News Windsor)

The building is now secured with temporary supports and hoarding while structural engineers assess whether it needs to come down, or if can be repaired.

“At the end of day it’s a business and again, it’s bricks and mortar,” said Malette. “We’re super fortunate over the years and had great, great support from all of our customers.”

Malette said it’s that outpouring of community support that made their decision about Dari de Lite’s 52nd consecutive season an easy one.

“We're hoping to be open for this season next year. One way or another we’ll be open,” he said.

“We want to enjoy another season of ice cream next year.”

An SUV drives through Dari de Lite on Howard Ave. in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (Rich Garton/CTV News Windsor)