Truck crash forces Nessa’s Cafe in Las Cruces to temporarily close

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- Monday, a truck crashed into Nessa's Cafe in Las Cruces, damaging the business and forcing its closure.

The crash resulted in significant damage to the cafe's bathroom.

Vanessa Smith, the owner of Nessa's Cafe, was out of town when the incident happened. She said someone could have died if the cafe had been open.

The busy intersection where the crash happened is a point of contention among local business owners regarding its safety.

Smith described her cafe as having “a lot of love here. And that's what hurts is that, you know, we just want to get back to that. And again everybody their favorite cafe back.” She considers herself lucky she was away, noting, “If you would have been in the bathroom, you would have died.”

Yvonne Hernandez, a nearby business owner, described the sound of the crash.

“I heard a pop or, like, a bomb. It sounded like a bomb,” Hernandez said. She attributed the crash to the intersection, saying, “It just leaves you wondering. Oh, God. You know, like, next time, can the car fly this way instead of, you know, that way?”

Smith also characterized the location as a dangerous intersection.

“It's been a dangerous intersection. I mean, if you even try to cross here, it's scary without a light,” Smith said.

However, police spokesperson Dan Trujillo told ABC-7 Las Cruces Police do not consider the intersection dangerous.

Trujillo said, “If people were to pay attention to the road drive at the posted speed limits and obviously make sure traffic is clear before crossing, we would not have crashes like this.”

Police confirmed that no one was charged following the collision.

To prevent future damage, Smith is preparing to reinforce her cafe's wall with metal poles.

The crash isn't the first challenge the cafe faced. In 2020, the business had to recover from fire damage.

Community members rallied to support and donate money to help with repairs.

Vanessa Smith has started a GoFundMe to ask for the community's support in fixing the bathroom.