Four People Hurt When Car Crashes Into Pa. Denny's

Jan. 15--WILKES-BARRE -- Customers who came to Denny's restaurant Monday morning for breakfast got a grand slam they weren't expecting.

Four people were injured when a Ford Escape slammed into the side of Denny's on Kidder Street about 9:30 a.m., Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said.

Bear Creek resident Joe Stahovic was finishing breakfast with his wife, Carol, when he said he saw the vehicle barrel over the hill and crash into the side of the restaurant.

"I just looked up and I didn't have time to react," Stahovic said. "It sounded just like a bomb went off. A man was sitting right next to where the car came in and his leg was pinned under the table."

Wilkes-Barre resident Tawana Lovell, a nurse, said she tried to help the man whose leg was pinned underneath the table.

"I thought something was going to blow up," Lovell said. "I'm just having breakfast and it seemed like a big explosion."

Delaney said one person was seriously injured and three were moderately injured. They were transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, he said.

Wilkes-Barre police identified Alrick St. Michael Taylor, 21, of Wilkes-Barre as the driver of the 2003 Ford Escape.

According to police, Taylor left the Wilkes-Barre Lodge on Kidder Street, crossed Kidder Street over the median and sped onto the grass hill above Denny's before crashing into the side of the restaurant.

Lt. Steven Olshefski said police do not know how Taylor's vehicle became wedged between the building and a tree but that's where he "ended up."

Taylor was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and transported to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, where he refused a chemical test. Charges for driving under the influence and related offenses will be filed, police said. Police said Taylor resisted arrest and was physically restrained.

More than 40 customers and 12 employees were inside Denny's at the time of the crash, manager Chuck Boswell said.

Denny's was evacuated and employees remained outside the building as city code enforcement officials assessed the damage. Boswell said he expects the restaurant to remain closed for a few days.

Boswell said the restaurant was just remodeled about a year and a half ago and the design was changed.

"The firemen told me the new design was actually what saved the people who were sitting in those booths," Boswell said.

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