SUV Injures Child After Slamming Through Parking Lot Block, Crashing Into Long Island Restaurant
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A frightening car accident left a child injured on Long Island – and an SUV inside a local eatery.
The driver of the SUV says he couldn't stop and the next thing he knew, he was inside a Subway restaurant.
CBSN New York's Matt Kozar reports there was little time to get out of the way as the SUV crashed into the Subway Saturday afternoon in Farmingdale, at the Boundary Plaza shopping mall.
According to the driver, Seung Kim of Flushing, his vehicle's engine was making strange noises as he pulled into the parking space.
"The car was over-axleating, making noises all of the sudden, so I recognized something was wrong with it. I stepped my feet off from the brakes and it hit hard. I tried to stop but it already got into the Subway," Kim said.
"I heard a little girl was crying and another girl was bleeding from her head. She put her hand on her face. I didn't see how bad the injury was," a man who works in the nail salon next door said.
Police say the child was inside the restaurant at the time and suffered minor injuries from debris. No one else was hurt.
The owners of the Subway franchise would not speak on-camera but told CBSN New York they've operated the business for a decade.
Now, they're left picking up the broken glass and shards of metal; repairing a restaurant they've spent years building.
The driver had to overcome several hurdles to reach the restaurant, including a cement parking block, a yellow metal post, and two steps before crashing through glass that's since been boarded up.
"I just can't believe it. It's kind of shocking. I didn't even think a car could over the steps that are here," one woman told Matt Kozar.
Seung Kim said he's thankful no one was killed.
"I feel sorry about the Subway and the little girl," the driver added.
Police are calling the crash an unfortunate accident.
