An explosion. That was the first thing owner ST Yan thought of when a car drove into his Chinese restaurant in Rosmalen on Wednesday evening around five o’clock. An 88-year-old man was behind the wheel of the car. A regular customer even. “I was working at the griddle and immediately ran to the entrance to see what exactly was going on,” says the owner.
At the entrance he saw the enormous damage. “There was a car inside and I saw the driver get out. One of our customers ran to the man to see if he was not injured. He reassured the man and turned off the engine of the car.”
The typical entrance to the Chinese restaurant was completely destroyed by the accident. The doors have since been replaced by some wooden bulkheads. The broken doors are against the wall. The vases that stood in the hall are shattered and a cupboard is damaged beyond repair.
“Fortunately it is only material damage. Fortunately, everything that is broken can be repaired. The doors were already about seven thousand euros each. I still have to see if there is anything of value among the destroyed items. We are not allowed to do it yet clean up. First the loss adjuster has to come by.”
“I don’t blame the driver. This can happen.”
Yan can only guess at the cause of the accident. “I think the driver wanted to park, but pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. Then he drove in at full speed. The man is a regular guest of our restaurant. He comes here every week to get food. I have still had contact with his daughter. He is fine. I don’t blame him. This can happen.”
There were no guests in the restaurant hall at the time of the accident. “About forty guests were eating in the restaurant,” says the owner. “An accident like that is a slap in the face, but I’m glad there were no fatalities.”
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