A Forest Hills restaurant that suffered thousands of dollars in damage from a Department of Sanitation plow truck accident wants the city to pay for the repairs.
Customers were sitting in Exo Cafe, at 70-20 Austin St., about 10:55 p.m. on Feb. 13 when the city snow plow struck a garbage can full of snow ice, which then hit the restaurant, police said.
The accident damaged the eatery’s winter vestibule and shattered some of its windows, according to the establishment’s owners, who captured the incident on their surveillance video.
A 36-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.
The restaurant was able to quickly clean up the mess and resume regular business, but still needs money to repair the nearly $50,000 in destruction, said owner Peter Kambitsis.
Though Exo Cafe has filed a claim through its own insurance, Kambitsis believes the city is financially responsible.
“Why should we go through our insurance when they have their insurance,” Kambitsis asked.
Kambitsis said he filed a claim with the City Comptroller’s Office on Feb. 18. Since then, representatives from the city have come to the restaurant to examine the structural damage.
As of Monday, he is still waiting to see when or if he will be reimbursed.
A spokesperson for the Comptroller’s Office said the claim was still under review.
The Department of Sanitation conducted an investigation into the accident and said it “is taking disciplinary action against the operators of the equipment.”
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