1/4 The devastation after a car crashed into Nelson Cafetaria & Sushi (photo: Imke van de Laar)
The tables and chairs that are normally on the terrace in front of Nelson Cafeteria & Sushi are upside down on the ground. And the facade is badly damaged. Early on Sunday morning, a car crashed into the building after a police chase. Owner Lili Cheung has not yet recovered from the shock.
Lili lives above the business and was woken up by a loud bang around five o’clock on Sunday morning. “I looked out the window and saw devastation. My husband and I immediately ran downstairs. There was a car against our facade, airbags removed, but no trace of the driver.”
“The fences in front of the business, the terrace, the shutters, the window, are all broken.”
The police cordoned off the place with tape. And so Lili decided to go back upstairs. In daylight she can take a good look at the damage. “The fences in front of the business, the terrace, the shutters, the window, are all broken,” she sums up despondently.
After some prying, she manages to raise the roller shutter in front of the entrance. “There is no visible damage inside. Fortunately, we can receive our customers,” she concludes with relief. And so just before opening time she is already making fries as if nothing had happened.
“You can’t imagine that there were people sitting here on the terrace.”
But the fear is still there. “People often drive fast here on the Graafseweg. It doesn’t surprise me that something has gone wrong this time. It’s a good thing it didn’t happen earlier in the day. You shouldn’t imagine that there are people on the terrace here.” had been sitting.”
Lili hopes that the road will now be made safer. “Maybe the municipality can install speed bumps or traffic lights here. So that an accident like this can’t happen again.”
READ ALSO: Car crashes into cafeteria facade after chase, driver missing