An uncontrollable driver jumped off the curb and rushed to outdoor dining at a popular Florida restaurant, pinning a woman under her SUV who had to have her legs amputated.
Rosemary Villaran watched in horror as the driver crushed her friend, a visiting tourist from Peru, while the two had dinner with the victim’s family at the Bang Shack in Hollywood.
“Everyone was screaming and when I turned my head she was under the car and I was trying to get up to help her,†Villaran said. “And that lady in the SUV was racing down the alley. ”
The unidentified tourist was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she is in a medically induced coma following the loss of her legs. Two other guests were also injured.
Police have not disclosed whether the unidentified driver was under the influence at the time of the crash or whether she will face charges.
The driver of a black SUV struck diners sitting outside a Hollywood restaurant, seriously injuring three people. One of the victims had both legs amputated
Rosemary Villaran, a friend of the victim, said she was from Peru. “Everyone was screaming and when I turned my head she was under the car and I was trying to get up to help her,†Villaran said. “And that lady in the SUV was racing down the alley”
The unidentified driver crashed his black SUV into several pedestrians sitting outside The Bang Shack, a restaurant along 20th Avenue South, around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The SUV was coming from an alley and heading east between Harrison Street and Hollywood Boulevard. The driver attempted to turn around to avoid a northbound fire engine and lost control while jumping onto the sidewalk, Hollywood police said.
Jason Hadley, the restaurant owner, told NBC Miami he had just spoken to customers moments before the crash.
“I just heard all the screams, the chaos. I see my table, now it’s over on this side when it was on the other side of the tree, â€Hadley said.
The injured tourist was trapped between the car and the tree, her legs trapped under the vehicle.
“I was just talking to these clients. I was just talking to them, with my neighbors. I had my back turned … [It could have] easily been me, â€Hadley said.
According to Hadley, the driver then got out of her vehicle as witnesses accused her of being drunk.
‘I’m not drunk. I didn’t drink anything, â€she reportedly said.
Calvin Rahma, who was dining outside the restaurant with his girlfriend, also saw the driver get out of her car.
“She’s just coming to the sidewalk, hits the table.” When she hits the table, she comes out. She looked like she was about to take off and run away, â€Rahma said.
Villaran called on the police to charge the driver.
“This girl needs to be arrested,†she said.
A video posted on Twitter shows paramedics and police assisting pedestrians after the commotion. Scattered white restaurant chairs and a fire engine and ambulance can be seen in the background
The SUV was coming from an alley and heading east between Harrison Street and Hollywood Boulevard
The Bang Shack does not hold a permit to eat al fresco, Local 10 reported.
Although payment and documents for the permit have been submitted, the decision is still pending.
The restaurant opened in May. Hadley was featured in an episode of “Shark Tankâ€, in which he showcased his idea for a world-famous “Chicken bang dip†restaurant that would eventually become a reality with The Bang Shack.
Hadley had been working on opening the business since 2017, but due to the pandemic he experienced a series of setbacks that required him to take out several loans to keep his staff hired and the restaurant afloat.
“A lot of people don’t know why I stay so positive, how I keep bouncing off bad things, and the truth is, I can’t stand still,†Hadley told The Sun Sentinnel in the Spring.
Jason Hadley, the restaurant owner, told NBC Miami he had just spoken to customers moments before the crash
The Bang Shack does not have an outdoor dining permit. Although payment and documents for the permit have been submitted, the decision is still pending.
