One person was killed and seven others were injured on Saturday when a nonagenarian bulldozed her Buick SUV into a patio populated with brunch diners on the Jersey Shore.
The tragic accident happened at Meg’s Grill in the town of Lavallette, New Jersey, just after 11 a.m., when the 93-year-old woman driving the car reportedly tried to park in an angle spot in front of the grill and punched the gas pedal instead of the brake, police said.
This caused the 2014 Buick Encore to slam into the patio where diners were gathered.
Apparently, there was no safety barrier between the angled parking spot and the sidewalk café, where the seating area is as close as four feet to the curb.
A 56-year-old Toms River woman was fatally injured in the accident, according to News 12 New Jersey, while the driver, who is from Lavallette, only suffered minor injuries.
Seven others were taken to a hospital, though the extent of their injuries remained unclear, the New York Post reported.
A neighboring liquor store was left with damage to its façade, while the restaurant building itself appeared unharmed and no restaurant staff were injured, according to news reports. However, the restaurant announced it would close Sunday and Monday.
“Please keep your prayers for the people who were hurt,” the restaurant’s owner wrote on its Facebook page in one of several statements.
The statement continued, “I would also like to say that the emergency response teams were incredible and to all of our customers who immediate jumped into action was a testament to how incredible humanity really is. We are grateful for everyone.”
Breitbart News contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
