McLean’s Electrical has operated in the west end of Commercial Road, the town’s main street, for 61 years.

On Friday afternoon, the shop was the talk of the town when it was struck by a truck.

About 4.30pm, the truck clipped a verandah post of the building while pulling out of a park, causing the verandah to collapse and fall to the ground.

Police and the State Emergency Service were soon on the scene, closing off Commercial Road while the debris was removed.

An asbestos expert was called to the scene to remove asbestos from the verandah before it could be knocked down. The street was closed during this time and re-opened at 7.45pm.

No-one was injured with the shop empty at the time.

Building owner Brad McLean said the incident came and went in a hurry.

“I left the shop about five minutes before the truck hit,” he said. “I went home and was getting ready to go to a job in Warrnambool when I got a call to tell me what had happened. By the time I walked back to the shop the police were already there.

“Apparently they were on their way back from another job and they saw what had happened and pulled in.”

The building is for sale and Mr McLean said he was still deciding whether he would put up a new verandah.

He said while the loss of the verandah was a blow, he was thankful that there had been no causalities.

“The fact no-one was hurt was the main thing,” Mr McLean said.

“Fridays up this end of town are really busy so it was very lucky no-one was walking past at the time.

“If it had of been a little bit earlier than kids would have been walking home from school. And, of course, once the evening comes there is always a lot of people around who are going out for a meal.

“If someone had of been walking underneath when it fall I wouldn’t have liked to see the result.

“The verandah was a very heavy structure. The only damage it done was a small crack in the top corner of the shopfront window.”

The McLean family have been a constant part of the Koroit business community since 1955 when Mr McLean’s parents, the late Geoff and Nancy, first opened their electrical shop.

Mr McLean said another iconic Koroit businessman, the late Bill McNally, helped construct the verandah.

“From what I know, the verandah had wooden posts originally,” Mr McLean said.

“I remember, it would be just on 50 years ago, my dad and Bill McNally putting up the metal posts.”