A Burbank woman was severely injured after crashing her car into a restaurant Tuesday night in Bridgeview.
Police Chief Ricardo Mancha said the 39-year-old woman was speeding west down Hanover Street when she crossed Harlem Avenue and crashed into the gaming area of the shuttered View restaurant at 8930 S. Harlem Ave.
In a brief video, her car can be seen just missing vehicles on Harlem before crashing into the building.
“It was amazing that she didn’t kill someone,” said Mancha.
The restaurant closed down a few weeks ago, so it was empty at the time.
“If the restaurant had been open, it would have been terrible,” Mancha said. “The gaming area was always crowded.”
Bridgeview firefighters spent 30 minutes extricating the woman from the car as it was embedded in the wall of the restaurant. The top of the vehicle was sheared off in the collision with the brick building.
Acting Fire Chief Keith Grzadziel said she was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition.
Mancha said hospital officials said she suffered major trauma to one of her legs and might have to have it amputated.
The SMART accident reconstruction team was called to the scene and Harlem Avenue was closed in both directions for about an hour.
Mancha said the driver was charged with driving under the influence and failure to stop for a stop sign.
Grzadziel said North Palos and Roberts Park firefighters assisted at the scene.
Oh yes all kinds of people speed up and down day and night of the block of Hanover St. Its a Shame to because there is a kiddie park on this block and a special needs young man also. So you would think 🤔 someone from the Village of Bridgeview would put down a couple of speed bumps at least 2 of them also on Hartford St. Slow down these people racing down these streets
It was a lot safer back in the day when Hanover St. was a dead end and you couldn’t get on or off to Harlem Ave.