FLORISSANT, Mo. – A planned family lunch turned into a tragedy at The Rice House restaurant in Florissant Monday.
Just after 11:45 a.m. Monday, a vehicle crashed into the building, pinning a 52-year-old man underneath. Witnesses say he was there to meet his family for lunch.
The head barber of Blended Styles Barbershop, Mark “Loosh” Wallace, which is located directly next door, heard an explosive sound and went outside to see what happened.
“(I) walked over (and) saw two women inside. One was getting pulled out and we noticed that there was another man trapped under the car. So, we were trying to render aid to him as best as we could…unfortunately, he passed out before EMTs arrived,” Wallace said.
According to those on the scene, the driver, who was not injured, claimed she did not have her foot on the gas.
“From what we heard…the car somehow got in drive, and it accelerated from this parking spot and drove through the restaurant,” Kenny Truong, owner of The Rice House, said.
“The lady kept screaming that the car malfunctioned,” Wallace said. “That her foot was off the gas and it was in park, but looking at the impact, it says something different.”
A witness stated first responders performed CPR on the man at the scene, but there was a 10 to 15-minute delay before the ambulance left for the hospital. The driver is cooperating with the authorities.
The incident was captured on video.
“The police took our DVR for further investigation to review the footage,” Truong said.
Officials say the victim succumbed to his injuries. Police have not determined the cause of the crash and are still investigating.
Truong says he is devastated by the loss of life, his 20 employees, and his business. He added that customers can continue to support his other location on North Highway 67.
