No injuries were reported after the driver of a silver Honda drove through the side entrance of Newk’s Eatery around 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
Tyler Parker, a Newk’s employee, saw the scene of a car crashing through the windows.
“I was standing in the back of the kitchen, just washing dishes,” Parker said. “We heard something fall, but it wasn’t a loud crash or anything. It just sounded like someone knocked over a bunch of trays.”
Expecting to find toppled tables, Parker was surprised to see shattered glass covering the floor of the main dining area.
“I went out to check and see what happened, and there was a car halfway into the patio, entering the restaurant,” Parker said.
Though the crash scared patrons and employees, there were no injuries reported. Oxford police and emergency medical services were sent to Newk’s, but the fire department was not needed.
“There were four girls sitting at the table right where the car hit,” Parker said. “They got up, walked out of the store and got into their car fine.”
This is the second time a vehicle has crashed into an Oxford restaurant in the past two months. Toyo Sushi Bar had a car crash into its front entrance early last month. Both Toyo and Newk’s are just doors down from each other in the same strip mall.
Georgia Hogue, a Toyo hostess, was working when the car crashed into the restaurant.
“I was the only worker behind the desk the night Toyo was hit,” Hogue said. “I was going through upcoming ticket orders, and then there was this huge crash, and glass was all over the place.”
There were no injuries reported in that accident, either.
“No one was hurt,” Hogue said. “I saw a man pull a woman out of the way since he could see the car coming through the window.”
Newk’s manager Brandon Patterson said insurance liabilities prevent the restaurant from speaking further on the incident.
“Right now, the insurance and legal departments are looking into it,” Patterson said. “We can’t say much besides that no one was hurt and that most of the damage has been repaired.”
