fka smurfette
07-20-2007, 07:11 AM
I hope someone is held responsible for this. Maybe her, or her family. But someone. You shouldn't get a free pass for causing an accident like this just b/c you're old.
Car plows into Wilmette bakery
9 hurt; driver, 94, may face charges
By Azam Ahmed and Andrew Schroedter
Chicago Tribune.
July 20, 2007
Bill Klinge grabbed a bagel and was about to sit down Thursday afternoon when a Mercury Grand Marquis crashed through the front window of the crowded Panera Bread in Wilmette.
"I heard what sounded like an explosion," said Klinge, 63.
The car nearly hit Klinge, but a woman in line shoved him out of the way and a customer in front of him was pinned by the vehicle, he said.
Klinge dropped his bagel and ran. When he returned moments later, several people were struggling to lift the car off a woman's leg, he said. The vehicle was wedged between the front window and the food counter.
Eight customers, ranging in age from 13 to 47, were injured in the crash about 1 p.m. Thursday. Five people were taken to Evanston Hospital and were in stable condition, a hospital official said. Three people were taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, authorities said.
Their conditions were not available.
The vehicle was driven by a 94-year-old woman and hit a parked car before accelerating into the lobby of the restaurant at 1199 Wilmette Ave., police said.
Witnesses said both the driver and an elderly male passenger were able to walk away from the accident. Wilmette police said the passenger was injured.
The car is registered to Jack Rose, 95, of Wilmette.
A woman who answered the door at the residence listed under that name said, "No one here is willing to talk."
Charges against the driver may be filed after an investigation, police said.
Several police officers surveyed the aftermath of the crash Thursday afternoon.
The parking lot was roped off by police tape, and the vehicle rested in the Panera parallel to the sidewalk, as though it were parked in a car dealer showroom rather than a restaurant.
Outside the shop, shards of glass and overturned outdoor furniture covered the sidewalk.
James O'Hara, who was driving through the parking lot outside the restaurant when the accident occurred, said there were about 30 people in the store when he noticed the car behind him was moving extremely fast.
"I saw them hit the curb and fly into the Panera," he said. "The woman still had her foot on the gas when the car was in the shop [and] the wheels were still spinning."
Neil Weintraub, who was across the street from the accident, said the parking lot often gets congested during the lunch hour, and it's not uncommon for people to be sitting outside.
"We heard people scream. No one could believe what was going on," he said.
People near the restaurant when the accident happened described a chaotic scene.
"We saw people running by the front of our store; people were running and screaming. ... Everyone was yelling, 'Call 911!'" said Dave Kaiser, an employee at JoS. A. Bank Clothiers near the restaurant.
Panera spokesman Andrew Carlson said he was not sure when the recently renovated restaurant would reopen.
"We want to make sure the structure is sound and that we can verify the integrity of the building before we do anything," he said. "We've already started the wheels in motion for that."<ul><li><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-panera_20jul20,1,4964669.story?coll=chi_tab01_layo ut">link</a></li></ul>
Car plows into Wilmette bakery
9 hurt; driver, 94, may face charges
By Azam Ahmed and Andrew Schroedter
Chicago Tribune.
July 20, 2007
Bill Klinge grabbed a bagel and was about to sit down Thursday afternoon when a Mercury Grand Marquis crashed through the front window of the crowded Panera Bread in Wilmette.
"I heard what sounded like an explosion," said Klinge, 63.
The car nearly hit Klinge, but a woman in line shoved him out of the way and a customer in front of him was pinned by the vehicle, he said.
Klinge dropped his bagel and ran. When he returned moments later, several people were struggling to lift the car off a woman's leg, he said. The vehicle was wedged between the front window and the food counter.
Eight customers, ranging in age from 13 to 47, were injured in the crash about 1 p.m. Thursday. Five people were taken to Evanston Hospital and were in stable condition, a hospital official said. Three people were taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, authorities said.
Their conditions were not available.
The vehicle was driven by a 94-year-old woman and hit a parked car before accelerating into the lobby of the restaurant at 1199 Wilmette Ave., police said.
Witnesses said both the driver and an elderly male passenger were able to walk away from the accident. Wilmette police said the passenger was injured.
The car is registered to Jack Rose, 95, of Wilmette.
A woman who answered the door at the residence listed under that name said, "No one here is willing to talk."
Charges against the driver may be filed after an investigation, police said.
Several police officers surveyed the aftermath of the crash Thursday afternoon.
The parking lot was roped off by police tape, and the vehicle rested in the Panera parallel to the sidewalk, as though it were parked in a car dealer showroom rather than a restaurant.
Outside the shop, shards of glass and overturned outdoor furniture covered the sidewalk.
James O'Hara, who was driving through the parking lot outside the restaurant when the accident occurred, said there were about 30 people in the store when he noticed the car behind him was moving extremely fast.
"I saw them hit the curb and fly into the Panera," he said. "The woman still had her foot on the gas when the car was in the shop [and] the wheels were still spinning."
Neil Weintraub, who was across the street from the accident, said the parking lot often gets congested during the lunch hour, and it's not uncommon for people to be sitting outside.
"We heard people scream. No one could believe what was going on," he said.
People near the restaurant when the accident happened described a chaotic scene.
"We saw people running by the front of our store; people were running and screaming. ... Everyone was yelling, 'Call 911!'" said Dave Kaiser, an employee at JoS. A. Bank Clothiers near the restaurant.
Panera spokesman Andrew Carlson said he was not sure when the recently renovated restaurant would reopen.
"We want to make sure the structure is sound and that we can verify the integrity of the building before we do anything," he said. "We've already started the wheels in motion for that."<ul><li><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-panera_20jul20,1,4964669.story?coll=chi_tab01_layo ut">link</a></li></ul>