Sport utility vehicle crashes into Lacey Applebees

No serious injuries suffered in wreck; child shaken up

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published July 21, 2008

LACEY – A sport utility vehicle lost control on Sleater-Kinney Road and crashed through a wall at the Applebee's restaurant Monday — plowing into a booth where five people, including a 7-year-old girl, were seated after just finishing lunch.

None of the restaurant patrons was seriously injured, but the girl received minor lacerations to an arm from broken glass of a window that was shattered, Lacey police Lt. Phil Comstock said.

Server Sandy Forcier, who served the group, said they were "very, very lucky" no one suffered serious injuries.

"It was just a loud bang," Forcier said after the 2 p.m. crash. "I was just in total shock. It sounded like a bomb going off.

"The little girl was very shaken up," Forcier added.

Comstock said an 8-year-old girl who was a passenger in the red Mercury Mountaineer was unhurt.

The driver of the SUV was "semi-conscious" when she was treated at the scene, Comstock said. She was transported to a local hospital.

Comstock said investigators are trying to determine whether the woman was losing consciousness before she crashed or whether she was semi-conscious from injuries related to the crash.

The Applebee's stayed open, but the section where the crash occurred was blocked off.

Contractor Dan Monton said a city inspector determined the restaurant could safely remain open. Monton estimated it will cost up to $30,000 to make repairs.

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.