Oakmont Bakery was back in business Saturday after a large SUV slammed through a brick wall late Friday when about a dozen employees were inside. The driver of the Ford Expedition was taken to a hospital for unspecified injuries, but none of the workers was hurt. A Facebook post on the bakery’s page around 2:30 p.m. thanked several businesses that have offered to help if needed and announced "we are back up and running in a safe working environment.” The post also featured a picture of pepperoni bread "fresh from these indestructible ovens.” Owner Marc Serrao said some equipment was lost as a result of the crash, "which will slow down production for a while.” Aside from some staffers being in shock, no one inside was injured. "We had a crew of 13 bakers and decorators at the time of the crash,” Serrao said. "Our main concern was for the safety of our staff. We are so grateful that there were no serious injuries.” An earlier Facebook post from Oakmont Bakery on Saturday morning read in part: "At this time we will remain open however, due to the disruption to production, we were not able to continue baking, and so some products will not be available for purchase. We are also no longer accepting orders until we have an ETA on repairs. "We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work towards restoring the damage and returning to normalcy. If you have a preexisting order and do not receive a call from us, your order will be available for pick up as scheduled.” Oakmont fire Chief Joe Flanick said the crash occurred shortly before midnight Friday. He said initial emergency calls for the bakery included an explosion and possible roof collapse, but those things did not occur. Instead, the SUV plowed into the kitchen area of the bakery. Flanick said about a dozen workers were inside at the time of the crash. No other injuries were reported. "Thank God nobody got hurt (inside), because they all work in that area he went through,” Flanick said. Emergency crews from Blawnox, Verona, Oakmont, Allegheny Valley and Aspinwall assisted. Oakmont police are investigating. Borough Manager Scot Fodi said he spoke with police Chief Michael Ford on Saturday afternoon. He could not confirm whether the driver would face any charges. No further information was released. Flanick said the driver told emergency responders his brakes malfunctioned as he was traveling down Hulton Road. Firefighters began clearing the scene around 3 a.m. The hole in the wall was sealed Saturday. Any repair work didn’t seem to impact the storefront that afternoon as more than 400 patrons were served before 2 p.m., according to the customer number counter. University of Pittsburgh students Kenna Jackson and Kendall Mclinster of Butler were among them. Both said they learned about the crash through social media. "We didn’t know if it was still going to be open or not, but then we saw people were saying it was open,” Jackson said. Mclinster said she was shocked when she saw photos of the incident. "I just can’t believe how bad it was at first,” she said. "It was really crazy.” One of the few items noticeably off the shelves was paczki, a deep-fried dough pastry filled with confiture or other sweet filling. Serrao said paczki, most varieties of donuts, and some bagels and pastries were unable to be made Saturday. "We had most of our Valentine’s Day cakes and pastries baked before the crash,” Serrao said. "Tri State (Bakery Equipment), Chernega (Construction Co.) and Advanced Service were able to get most of our equipment up and running in order for us to make most of our products Sunday and Monday. All things considered, our teams pulled off an amazingly successful day.” Bethel Bakery, Pastries A-La-Carte, Prantls Bakery, Verrico Landscaping and Sam’s Club in the Tarentum area also helped while production was being restored. Serrao said Sunday they are back to taking orders after ABCO Fire Equipment assisted with resetting the sprinkler system and charged fire suppression equipment, all part of restoring systems up to standard. "Without these amazing companies/people, we would not be open today,” Serrao said. Support Local Journalism and help us continue covering the stories that matter to you and your community. Support Journalism Now >