A terrifying scene unfolded on Thanksgiving night when a 90-year-old driver plowed his car straight into a beloved California coffee shop — and the entire crash was caught on jaw-dropping surveillance video.
The footage shows a dark-colored sedan speeding down University Avenue in Los Gatos around 9 p.m., before smashing full-force through the front of Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company. The impact leveled half the shop’s interior, sending debris flying and leaving the elderly driver hospitalized.
Coffee shop owner Teri Hope said she’s still processing the damage.
“Just devastated with the destruction, but incredibly grateful that no one was injured inside aside from the driver of the vehicle,” she told ABC7. With the business closed for the night, the café was thankfully empty when the car came barreling through the glass.
Photos from the scene show the sedan sitting on top of a mountain of shattered furniture, fixtures and broken windows — nearly everything in the front half of the café was destroyed. “Fixtures and furniture in half the building have been demolished,” Hope said. “That is the heart of our business.”
Police say alcohol may have been a factor, though investigators are still reviewing every detail. The driver — whose name has not been released — was the only person in the car and is listed in stable condition at a local hospital.
Locals who frequent the shop say the crash could have easily been deadly if it happened earlier in the day.
“So many times we’ve sat in that room that’s been devastated,” regular customer Sheila Lebedenko said. “To think you could be sitting there drinking coffee, eating pastry, watching musicians — and that could just suddenly happen.”
Despite the destruction, Hope says she’s determined to rebuild.
“I believe we are going to be back on our feet shortly,” she said.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Discover more from True News Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.