OAK CREEK, Wis. — An SUV crashed into Belair Cantina at Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek Wednesday around 9:30 a.m.
Oak Creek Police say it appears the 37-year-old woman driving the SUV had some sort of medical emergency before crashing. No one was injured.
But the damage to Belair Cantina is substantial. The SUV went through the main entrance of the building. There was broken glass and twisted metal. The owner and manager of the restaurant declined to comment at the time of this story. By the end of the day, a temporary covered the huge hole in the building.
The owners did issue a statement on Jan. 24. Read their statement below:
"Accident occurred Wednesday 1/19 at 9:30am. We did have two employees in the restaurant at the time of the accident. They were in the kitchen, away from where the car entered the restaurant. Both employees were not injured. We are grateful no one was injured. With the help of our landlord, Sean Phelan and City of Oak Creek Building Inspector, Jeff Lynch and Asst. Fire Chief Michael Havey, we were able to determine the restaurant was safe and secure to reopen, which happened Friday 1/21. We are back open with dine-in, takeout and delivery services fully functioning. Operating hours remain the same. We have started the process of reconstructing the damaged areas and hope to be back to 100% very soon."
The restaurant has since reopened to the public.
Watch:
“I heard sirens and when I looked out the window, I couldn’t believe there was a car sticking out of Belair!” said Vicki Piotrowski.
“I was immediately bummed because we love going there,” said Travis Piotrowski. “We’re just so relieved no one was hurt. Our hearts go out to everyone involved. The driver, and the people who work there. It affects their livelihood.”
While we were covering this unfortunate accident, many people who live and work at Drexel Town Square came up to us to talk about a concern they say they’ve had for a while.
“People go through the stop signs here all the time,” Travis said. “They fly down the streets through this complex.”
“When you’re walking your dog, or headed to the library or anything, and you're in a crosswalk or waiting on the sidewalk at a stop sign, it just doesn't matter,” Vicki said. “The drivers will just keep going.”
Other residents say they don’t see police traffic enforcement within Drexel Town Square. We reached out to Oak Creek Police to ask them about this.
Captain David Ashenhurst says, “Our officers spend considerable time within the Drexel Town Square area, as this is a central part of our city. Their response to businesses in that area is common...We also have monthly traffic enforcement areas that our officers spend time on as well. These are specific to areas in which citizens have made complaints and ask for extra patrol. Our officers patrol and enforce traffic violations in those areas commonly. Officers are asked to balance calls for service and investigations, with report writing documentation and traffic enforcement, all at the same time. Our officers do their best in finding this balance."
People on the scene tell us no one is hurt.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yep, That is a SUV inside Belair Cantina at Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek. People on scene tell me no one is hurt. Waiting on police to share more on how this happened. @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/ynFSg9bhGu
— Katie Crowther (@KtCrowther) January 18, 2023
