YACHATS — This is the not the kind of Fourth of July week Judith MacDonald was anticipating.

Just days ago, she was spending a typical Sunday morning at her neighborhood kitchenware shop when a car plowed head-on through the front door — seriously injuring a local businessman who was sitting outside, and leaving her shop badly damaged just before one of the biggest business days of the year.

Once that day — the Fourth of July — finally arrived, MacDonald was delightfully surprised to find herself reopened for business, thanks in large part to a substantial community effort. Shelves had been rebuilt and replaced, broken glass had been cleaned out and replaced, store items had been separated into damaged and undamaged.

But her gratitude is tinged with concern for Dublin House motel owner Daniel Serbu, who suffered multiple broken bones and was transported to Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Serbu reportedly was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, and a hospital official said Tuesday afternoon that Serbu was in fair condition.

‘Still a little rattled’

Between worrying about Serbu and focusing on the repairs at Judith’s Kitchen Tools just off U.S. Highway 101, MacDonald has found herself caught up in a whirlwind of emotion.

“At this point, I’m still a little rattled,” she said Tuesday afternoon, the pounding of hammers behind her punctuating every word. “Some of these people (helping), they’re people on vacation.”

Holiday or not, the people of Yachats wasted no time coming to MacDonald’s aid, turning what could have been a calamity into a textbook example of small-town unity.

When MacDonald began to feel ill in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s accident, Mari Irvin — who co-owns the neighboring Mari’s Book Shop — volunteered to drive her to the hospital. By the time Irvin and MacDonald returned about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Irvin’s domestic partner and former legal secretary, Jeannine Janson, had put her considerable organizational skills to work in directing willing volunteers around the damaged shop. The improvement since the accident just a few hours earlier was remarkable.

“The entire area of the store almost looked like nothing had happened,” Irvin said.

Among the volunteers were Michael and Kyle Mitchell, who along with their father, John, set to work building new shelves for MacDonald’s shop.

By Monday, the shelves were built, and only a bit of resizing remained to be done before they could be placed in the shop.

For Michael Mitchell, the decision to help really wasn’t a decision at all. It was second nature.

“There’s 600 people in this town,” Mitchell said. “If something goes wrong, this is what we do.”

Goodwill for driver

And that goodwill extended to the 17-year-old behind the wheel of the vehicle that rammed into Serbu and the store behind him. Several witnesses said the youth was attempting to put the vehicle in reverse and hit the gas pedal instead by mistake. It was unclear Tuesday if any charges would be filed in connection with the accident, which is being investigated by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

MacDonald and Irvin described the driver — who was visiting from Utah — as “traumatized” and “devastated” by the incident. They said local counselors wasted no time offering their assistance, and have visited with him day and night as he tries to reconcile his error.

“This was an accident — it could have happened to any of us,” Irvin said. “As much as we care for the man who is badly hurt, there is a deep sense of compassion for the young man who did this, recognizing that this is the most horrible accident that a young person could envision.”

The compassion directed at the young driver wasn’t lost on him, who marveled about it to local interfaith minister Mary Claire Crook.

“This is an amazing place,” Crook said the boy told her. “I want to live here someday.”