WINSLOW, Maine (AP) -- An 87-year-old driver who injured more than two dozen people when she plowed into a busy restaurant could have done far more damage, police said.
"It was a miracle no one was killed," Winslow police Lt. Richard Grindall said after the crash Sunday at the Lobster Trap & Steakhouse restaurant.Apparently panicking after striking two cars in the parking lot, Marie Wyman drove her 1992 Buick Regal into the restaurant's dining room, throwing tables, chairs and people aside, police said.
The car struck a wall, breaking a plate-glass window. Then Wyman backed up about 25 feet and hit another wall before coming to a stop, authorities said.
Thirteen people were taken to hospitals, although only one was admitted, for rib fractures. About 15 others were treated at the scene for cuts and bruises.
"It sounded like a bomb," said Henry Breton of Manchester, who was eating lunch when the car barreled through. "People were lucky they didn't get trapped under the car. She'd have killed them."
Damage was estimated at $50,000. Asked Monday why she had hit the accelerator, Wyman said, "It stuck."