At Least Four Hurt When Car Plows Into Restaurant

At least four people were injured Saturday when a driver lost control of his car and plowed through the front of a Fullerton restaurant, trapping one man underneath the vehicle and showering customers with shards of glass.

The Mustard Seed, an American country-style eatery on Harbor Boulevard, was beginning to fill with customers when the canary yellow Cadillac Sedan de Ville smashed through its front arch windows about 12:15 p.m., the restaurant’s owners said.

Firefighters rescued one man trapped beneath the vehicle and at least one woman needed stitches when she was struck by flying glass.

Four victims--a waitress and three customers--were taken to nearby St. Jude Medical Center.

None of the injuries was life-threatening, according to police and hospital officials.

Property damage could reach tens of thousands of dollars, restaurant owner Michael King said.

The driver was heading south on Harbor Boulevard when he tried to make a left-hand turn, restaurant workers said.

As he began to lose control of his car, a black Cadillac traveling north on the other side of the street smashed into his car, sending him veering off the road, they said.

The sedan narrowly missed a fire hydrant, a ficus tree and a pylon pole before it shattered the restaurant’s 12-foot-high windows that front the street.

The glass seemed as if it exploded, witnesses said.

“I heard somebody breaking glass but the sound kept coming and coming and coming,” said Michael McEwan, the restaurant’s manager, who was cooking at the time.

“I looked around the corner and I saw a yellow Cadillac in the restaurant. There was a guy pinned underneath. His legs were sticking out.”

McEwan rushed to the customer, a man in his 60s, who moments earlier had been sitting at one of the restaurant’s two front booths. Now he was trapped, his table shielding him from the car bearing down on him.

“I’m OK,” the man shouted, the remnants of his Chinese chicken salad lying beside him, “but get me out of here! Get me out of here!”

McEwan scanned the restaurant, which was rapidly filling with smoke and the smell of burning rubber from the car’s steaming tires.

Shards of glass had struck a woman who had been enjoying a chicken salad in the other front booth. Blood was running down her arm.

Two other customers were also hit by flying glass.

Paramedics were quickly on the scene, and seven firefighters managed to lift the car from the trapped customer, witnesses said.

Police are investigating the accident but have so far not determined whether the driver was at fault.