Truck crashes into busy salon; 6 injured

Every six weeks, Christian Iantosca makes an appointment with Damaris Pimentel at his favorite salon in Jamaica Plain to get his hair cut. But yesterday afternoon, Pimentel did more than cut Iantosca's hair; she saved his life.

"He was in the chair, and she was cutting his hair, and she saw the truck coming. . . . He saw the look on her face, and she just grabbed his sweater and pulled him off of the chair," Paul Iantosca said of his son Christian, 28, who was recovering from an injured leg at Brigham and Women's Hospital last night.

Christian Iantosca was one of six people injured yesterday afternoon when a heating company's truck crashed through the front doors of the Ultra Beauty Shop on Centre Street just before 2:30.

"He said it was like hell," Paul Iantosca said. "He said everything was falling from the ceiling . . . and the truck's wheels were still going and burning rubber."

The truck, which is owned by Cobra Central Systems of Holbrook, was driving around a rotary at Perkins and Centre streets when it hit a wrought-iron fence on the center island and knocked over a street sign before crashing into the salon, officials said. Police were investigating last night and did not say what caused the driver to crash or whether charges will be filed.

The salon was busy yesterday when the truck crashed through its glass doors, with a half-dozen stylists working on six customers.

In addition to Christian Iantosca and Pimentel, the truck driver, his passenger, two other people in the salon suffered minor injuries and were taken to either Brigham and Women's Hospital or Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said Acting Deputy Chief Paul Miller. Officials did not release their names.

Owners of the longtime neighborhood salon stood near the scene of the crash last night, shaken but relieved that no one was seriously injured.

"I just thank God; it's a miracle," said Barbara Ortiz, who owns the salon with Pimentel, her mother. Ortiz said she did not know the cost of the damage or when she would be allowed back into the building.

The Milky Way Lounge and Lanes and Bella Luna restaurant, located in the same complex as the salon, were closed last night because of damage caused from the crash. A recorded message on Milky Way's number said the business hoped to be open tonight.

Last night, city building inspectors worked to secure the structure before the truck was removed at about 6 p.m. Fire officials said two billboards atop the building were a concern because the truck hit a building support post. Officials erected a wooden post near the front of the structure to help stabilize the roof.

As his son was being evaluated at the hospital, Paul Iantosca considered what could have happened.

"He could have been dead," he said. "You really got to value your life and be thankful. Who would think that going to get a haircut could be the end?"