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SUV Crashes Into Panera Bread Shop

1 Patron Injured In Crash

POSTED: Monday, September 28, 2009
UPDATED: 8:21 am EDT September 29, 2009

A 19-year-old man's vehicle slammed into the Panera Bread restaurant in Woodhaven on Monday afternoon and injured a woman who was eating lunch.

The teen lost control and barreled his sport utility vehicle through the window of the restaurant on Allen and West roads during the busy lunch hour.

Janet Spizawka was in the restaurant and saw and heard it all happen.

"It sounded like a gunshot. I turned around and my husband said no, it's a vehicle that just came through the window. Just mayhem, really," Spizawka said.

A woman sitting near the glass windowpanes was knocked over and transported to Oakwood South Shore Hospital in Trenton. The woman is being treated for minor injuries.

Wolfgang Muench tried to help the victim at the scene.

"I just ran over to see if somebody was hurt and I saw the one lady and she was shaking quite a bit. She wasn't saying anything. There was just a couple there trying to comfort her," Muench said.

Image Gallery: SUV Smashes Into Panera

Three other patrons were treated at the restaurant, but refused to go to the hospital.

Woodhaven fire chief Janet Sikes said it was difficult to get patrons to leave the restaurant as her crews worked to help the injured woman.

"I asked if they would please leave. I had a very difficult time getting them to set their lunch down, get it possibly packaged up and evacuate the building. Nobody wanted to leave," Sikes said.

The driver told police that he was being tailgated and that's why he quickly turned into the restaurant parking lot. He said the pavement was slick and he lost control of his vehicle.

Woodhaven police chief Mike Martin said the driver will likely be cited for the crash, but he said the accident could have been much worse.

"Had he not turned the steering wheel when he did, the whole vehicle could have been into the building," Martin said.

Construction crews are replacing the windowpanes at the restaurant. Panera Bread officials said it will remain closed until engineers check over the structure of the building.

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