Driver injured when her car strikes Eckert’s restaurant, Belleville police say
A woman was injured Tuesday when her car struck Eckert’s restaurant after she hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes in the parking lot, Belleville police said.
No other injuries were reported in the restaurant at the intersection of Green Mount Road and Illinois 15.
The woman, who is in her 80s, was transported to a hospital for minor injuries sustained in the crash, Assistant Police Chief Mark Heffernan said in a statement.
She was backing a Honda CRV at 11:44 a.m. from a parking spot when she hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes, causing the car to “strike a support beam and the front of Eckert’s restaurant. The vehicle went forward after striking the building and struck the concrete base of another support beam attached to the building,” Heffernan said.
Fire Chief Stephanie Mills said the woman was able to walk to a stretcher before she was put in an ambulance.
“I was inside when I heard a big boom,” said Chris Eckert, president and CEO of Eckert’s Country Store and Farms. “They must’ve hit it pretty hard to cause this much damage.”
He added that the restaurant was able to remain open Tuesday afternoon.
