The Ideal Cafe has found itself in a less-than-ideal situation after a car drove into one of the corner walls early on July 2.
Stephanie Bergen, the manager of the cafe, says a driver tried to park at the corner wall, but instead of using the brake pedal, they stepped on the gas. The car accelerated into the corner wall, shoving it in back about a foot.
We had a full restaurant at the time," said Bergen. "And we had a lady sitting with her back right against the wall. When that car hit the wall, it shoved into that lady, and the whole table jolted and pushed that table into the next table."
That lady is in the hospital right now. Bergen said she got up and walked to a chair, where she was tended to until an ambulance took her to the hospital.
"It was totally an accident, 100 per cent," said Bergen. "We know the person who did it, and they were horrified."
The Campbell River RCMP say two people inside the cafe suffered minor injuries.
"Criminality was not a factor in the incident, but the driver could possibly face charges under the MVA for Driving without due cause," said Const. Maury Trye. "Unfortunately foot pedal errors do happen, sometimes out of lack of attention, sometimes due to mobility issues, and sometimes due to lack of familiarity with the vehicle the person is driving (rental or borrowed). It's so important for people to ensure that they are healthy enough to be behind the wheel, awake and attentive, and take the time to make themselves familiar with the vehicle they are driving before venturing out for a drive."
It's also not the first time someone has hit the wall. Bergen recalled a young man a couple of years ago who also found the gas pedal instead of the brake while attempting to park.
This accident has prompted the cafe to decide to install cement barricades around the cafe in the future to prevent similar accidents.
Despite the damage to the wall, Bergen says the cafe will be open on July 3. However, they will be down three tables.
"We just have to close that one side of the cafe, and we can still operate."
Bergen does not know how long that side of the cafe will be closed, though.
"It's a structural issue, right?" she said. "It's an insurance thing. It's not like we will get a guy in here tonight and he can fix it. There is an insurance claim, and it has to be engineered because it's structural damage."
