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Imagine you are on your lunch break and in a rush. You stop in to the nearest fast food restaurant, order a burger and fries and sit down at an empty booth. Just as you reach for the last fry, a deafening sound of breaking glass and crunching metal surrounds you and you instinctively crouch down, covering your head.
No, you are not eating lunch in a war-torn country; you are in Philadelphia on an average Monday and a vehicle has just plowed through the side of the restaurant’s wall.
This is the scary scene Burger King patrons experienced just two days ago over lunch when an 85-year-old man drove his Mercury Grand Marquis right into the Center City restaurant on 8th and Market streets.
“It almost sounded like an explosion,” a 26-year-old who was eating at Burger King with his fiancée said of the crash.
Seven people were injured in the accident, including the driver of the car, and the restaurant was left in shambles with shattered glass and broken bricks strewn about.
“I heard the engine roar and saw the vehicle come toward me,” said a 54-year-old who had left the restaurant just before the accident. “I ran to avoid the vehicle,” he said.
The injuries ranged in severity, with one man who was inside the restaurant suffering two broken legs and ending up in critical but stable condition. Another victim inside the restaurant suffered serious cuts. The driver and the rest of the victims reportedly had minor injuries and were expected to be treated and released from local hospitals.
A police spokesperson said charges have not been brought against the 82-year-old driver as of yet, and it was unclear if the driver will ever be charged.
Luckily, the restaurant wasn’t as crowded as it sometimes is over lunch and there were no fatalities caused by the accident.
In cases like this, people who are injured can usually bring personal injury claims against the person who caused the accident or their insurance company to pay for medical bills and other damages such as loss of wages.
Source: Philly.com, “7 hurt as car slams into Center City Burger King,” Morgan Zalot, 7/26/2011.