2 injured after car jumps sidewalk, rams restaurant in Richmond
Car on No. 3 Road drove onto sidewalk hitting 2 people before smashing into One Cafe window
Two pedestrian were hit and injured by a car that jumped the sidewalk and rammed into The One Cafe on No. 3 Road in Richmond, B.C., near the intersection of Westminster Highway.
Richmond police say the pedestrians were injured as a result of a three-vehicle collision, which caused the 78-year-old driver of one of the vehicles to drive off the road. Alcohol is not considered to be a factor in the collision.
The accident happened late Wednesday morning. The injured — a 61-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman — were both conscious and taken to hospital in stable condition, as was the driver who struck them, police said.
Police say all three individuals were residents of Richmond.
Witnesses say the man is a panhandler who was a regular in front of the café.
Carol Chen, who works at Colton's Boutique a few doors down, says she saw two people lying hurt on the sidewalk and a silver-grey Toyota Corolla crashed through the café front.
"When we saw it the car was already inside the restaurant," she told CBC. "It had gone over a tree and a fire hydrant. It was an older lady driving."
Chen says there's nothing on that stretch of No. 3 Road that makes it particularly dangerous.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Const. Janson at 604-278-1212 or email Richmond_Tips@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.