THUNDER BAY — City police say the driver of a vehicle that crashed through the brick wall of Boston Pizza on Arthur Street on Sunday afternoon had accidentally put it into reverse.
The 81-year-old man suffered only minor injuries when the compact pickup truck jumped a curb in the parking lot of the McDonald's Restaurant next door, and smashed through a hedge before breaking through the wall.
The vehicle wound up inside the dining room, but no one was hurt.
On its Facebook page, Boston Pizza posted a message expressing gratitude that there were no injuries.
The message also stated that "despite the crazy situation [Sunday]," the sports bar side of the Arthur Street location would be open for family dining Monday at 11 a.m., and that the restaurant would be open for takeout at the same time.
In an interview later, franchisee Pam Lyghtle described the incident as "very scary," adding "fortunately it was at a time when a lot of customers had just left...Lunch hour had just ended and dinner hour hadn't started yet."
But there were still an estimated 25 to 30 patrons on the dining room side of the restaurant at the time of the accident.
Franchisee Ryan Shalley said he was in the back of the house when he heard a commotion, ran out to see what had happened, and told a staff member to call 911.
Shalley said "I checked under the truck right away because I didn't know if there was anybody there."
He said a nurse or someone who knew First Aid had rushed over from McDonald's, entered the restaurant through the hole in the wall, and was tending to the driver who reported that he was okay.
"After that it was just...evacuate the building and make sure everyone was calm and out of the way."
The Boston Pizza on Arthur Street expects to have a temporary wall in place on Wednesday, and at that time about 3/4 of the dining room will reopen for customers.
