By Howard Koplowitz
An out-of-control car crashed through the window of a Kew Gardens Hills eatery Sunday, but surprisingly the driver was not seriously injured and no one in the store was hurt.
A woman driving a silver sedan going westbound on Jewel Avenue near Main Street was speeding when she made a right turn onto Main, avoiding a stop sign and fire hydrant on the corner, but she then crashed into Grill Point, at 69-54 Main St., around 4:20 p.m. Sunday, according to witnesses and the Breaking News Network.
“A car went head-on into the restaurant,” said Grill Point chef Lenny Vakaini, who said workers had no time to brace themselves for the accident.
“It was very spontaneous. Thank God nobody was by the window when it happened,” he said.
A worker at a 7-Eleven adjacent to Grill Point said he had heard that the female driver was trying to beat a red light and was going “very fast,” but did not suffer any serious injuries.
“I hear something crash and I looked at what was going on,” said the worker, who only identified himself as Kevin. “Unfortunately, the lady crashed inside the store.”
A Hatzolah ambulance worker who was first to arrive at the accident said he could not talk about the incident or any injuries suffered by the driver.
Shards of broken glass littered the street as onlookers took pictures of the scene.
Kevin said it was not the first time such an accident occurred on the Kew Gardens Hills corner.
“A couple years ago the same place,” he said.
A man who heard the crash said he could not believe how the car maneuvered around the stop sign and fire hydrant and managed to careen into the Grill Point window.
“I heard a bang and I don’t know how the hell that [car] wound up over here,” he said, pointing to the broken glass on the sidewalk. “I can’t figure this one out.”
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
