Car slams into Westmont restaurant, pinning diner under table

WESTMONT, Ill. (WLS) -- Diners at a west suburban breakfast spot were stunned when a car slammed into the Harvest Pancake and Grill in Westmont Thursday morning.

Nichole Olandese was busy serving customers when suddenly a vehicle came crashing through the window right in front of her.

"At the time I honestly thought it was an explosion of some sort," Olandese said. "I thought it came from the kitchen. So when I turned and saw the glass flying, it was quite a shock."

The owner of the Harvest Pancake House & Grill is now consulting with construction crews about repairs. He's hoping to be able to reopen in time for the Easter weekend when he is fully booked with reservations.

"Right before Easter, yeah, it's gonna be tough," Olandese said.

It was about 8:30 a.m. when a customer pulling into a parking space at the restaurant may have hit the gas rather than the brake in the parking lot, sending his vehicle through the large windows and into the restaurant.

Olandese said there were about 20 customers at the time, including several children who were seated directly in front of the vehicle's path, but they were untouched.

"The impact sent the booths coming this way, so all the booths came toward the family sitting there," Olandese said. "It just missed them by an inch."

The impact pinned a man under a table next to the window, but several customers were able to lift the table and help him up.

"It's a miracle because the way the table came in on him, it could've been much worse," Olandese said.

The customer who was pinned under a table briefly when the vehicle came crashing through the window was apparently not hurt. In fact, he told the owner he was going to go to work after that. He then offered to pay for his meal. The owner told him it was on the house.