Burger King Crash Update: Man's Foot Slipped Off the Brake onto the Gas Pedal

SAN ANGELO, TX - Just before 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, San Angelo Police, firefighters and medics dispatched to the Burger King on Bryant Blvd. An elderly man crashed into the building in a white 1994 Ford Crown Victoria LX, causing a bit of damage.

Public Information Officer Tracy Gonzalez said there's a crack on the exterior that goes all the way up the building, and inside the building, in the women's restroom, the far stall that faces the exterior wall got crushed. 

"So had the stall been occupied at that time, we would have been looking at a serious scene," said Gonzalez. "But thank God the bathroom was not occupied at the time of the collision."

The driver is 83 years old, Gonzalez said. There was also a female passenger in the vehicle, about 73 years of age. A reporting officer at the scene said the couple did not appear to have sustained any injuries. However, as a precaution, the Fire Department are assessing the couple.

The building, on the other hand, as stated, wasn't so lucky.

"Preliminary estimation to the building right now is going to be $25,000. Again, that's a preliminary estimate," Gonzalez emphasized.

The Fire Department is also assessing the damage to the interior, she explained. There was some smoke, so firefighters are checking the attic space. There may be some electrical damage, so they want to make sure there's nothing going on in "the guts of the building."

At this time, patrons are still coming and going into Burger King for food, but the women's restroom is closed off.

Update 3:53 p.m.

In a follow-up press release this afternoon, Officer Tracy Gonzalez said police responded to the crash at the Burger King, located at 102 N. Abe St., for the report of a vehicle crash.

She also mentioned that the vehicle is a 1995 Crown Victoria rather than a 1994, and the man who hit the building is 82. The female passenger is also 72 rather than 73 years of age. At the scene, Gonzalez did not have the official birth dates in front of her.

As stated previously, the couple did not suffer injury, and they both wore their seat belts at the time of the crash.

"The driver advised he was attempting to park in the parking lot when his foot slipped off the brake pedal and onto the gas pedal," said Gonzalez.

She added, "Fire Department personnel also assessed the building for potential electrical fire activity after employees’ smelled smoke coming from the women’s restroom, which was unoccupied at the time of the crash."

City Code Inspectors were summoned to the scene and later determined the building was not structurally sound for dine-in patrons. As a result, Burger King Officials will temporarily close the dining area, but the drive-through will remain open for customers. 

Preliminary damage to the building was estimated at $25,000. 

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 9 at 10:00 a.m. 

After Tuesday's accident, Burger King has been working hard to fix the gaping hole on their east-side wall. A store manager on site said that they are expected to finish construction by the end of this week. 

The lobby which was closed down after the accident for safety reasons, opened again as of about 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, "people are now able to come in and order" exclaimed the store manager. 

For patrons who choose to eat in the lobby, the men's restroom is fully functional, but the women's is not functional at the moment as construction workers must rebuild the east side wall inside as well.

However, the store manager stressed, "it is safe to come back now and we are fully opperational," she added "we appreciate all the business that we can get."