It is not likely that the occupant of a Pittsburgh area restaurant was expecting to be involved in a car accident earlier this month. Nonetheless, the man was pinned against a wall after a car barreled into the building shortly after midnight one evening a couple of weeks ago.
According to police, the car driven, by a 23-year-old man, ran into Ann's Corner Store Restaurant, located on George Street injuring the 56-year-old man inside. Though conscious and able to answer questions when first responders arrived on the scene, he was injured and was therefore transported to Allegheny General Hospital for treatment.
The nature and extent of the injuries suffered by the man inside the restaurant are not known.
The driver of the vehicle, who was actually operating a vehicle owned by another occupant of the car at the time of the incident, will likely be criminally charged in the matter. He currently faces the following:
- Resisting arrest
- Reckless endangerment
- Reckless driving
- Aggravated assault by vehicle
- Driving under the influence
- Careless driving
Whether any additional criminal charges or a civil lawsuit will be filed remains to be seen and will likely depend on an investigation into the matter.
For the man who was injured in the restaurant, this accident is nothing short of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most Pittsburgh residents likely assume that if they are inside a building or dwelling they will be safe from motor vehicle accidents. As this incident clearly illustrates, this is not the case.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Car crashes into McKees Rocks restaurant," Sanjena Sathian, Aug. 10, 2012
Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pittsburgh car accident page.