JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded to a crash Thursday afternoon at the Chili’s restaurant on Baymeadows Road.
According to JFRD, five people at the scene were transported to area hospitals.
The SUV involved had all four wheels inside the restaurant. Additional details in regard to injuries were not provided at the scene.
An eyewitness, who asked that News4JAX not use his name in this story, says it all started in the parking lot between the Walmart Neighborhood Market and the Chili’s restaurant.
“The guy was on the phone arguing with somebody. He was hitting the poles and running up on people. Then when he turned, he kept yelling into the phone,” the witness said. “Then he was trying to hit people’s cars that were coming in. When he got to the end, he turned and stopped. And then he yelled. Then he said something and went off hauling tail and went off right into Chili’s.”
Prior to crashing into the restaurant, the SUV appeared to have taken out a tree and water main. Tire tracks show where the SUV continued into the building.
Cas Sanders said he was heading to the restaurant, planning on having a margarita with a friend.
“We were excited, and then we pulled up and saw the damage, and we were like, what is happening?” Sanders said.
“We had no idea what was happening and we got closer,” said Walker Riik, a patron. “It’s a weird site.”
“You never think something like that is going to happen to you when you go out to eat,” said patron Jennifer Newman. “You just think it’s going to be a safe environment.”
Soon after firefighters left the scene, the truck was removed from inside the building. What happened to the driver remains unclear.