This week, an SUV crashed into a Hardee’s restaurant in North Carolina, murdering two brothers who were eating breakfast there, according to police.
The deadly collision occurred on Sunday at at 9:45 a.m. at the fast food outlet on Forest Hills Road in Wilson, which is located about 40 miles east of Raleigh.
The brothers Christopher and Clay Ruffin, both 58 years old and residents of Wilson, were hit by the Lincoln Aviator, according to the police.
When she heard an employee scream, Gabriela Palacios Alonzo said she was at the drive-thru. As she circled the structure, she spotted one of the victims in a “poor state” laying on the pavement.
Christopher was declared dead at the spot, while his brother passed away at the Greenville, South Carolina, ECU Health Medical Center.
According to photos taken at the site, the silver SUV looked to have ploughed through the front windows before stopping inside the dining room atop a mountain of shattered glass and bent window frames.
Police Sgt. Eric McInerny stated that another client was seen by emergency medical professionals but chose not to go to the hospital.
A Hardee’s employee informed WRAL that a little boy found himself underneath the out-of-control SUV while his dad was in the bathroom, though police did not identify or disclose the age of the person who was examined by paramedics.
The unidentified worker told the station, “When (the father) came out of the bathroom and looked through all the glass, he found and removed the boy from underneath the car.” The young child was yelling and screamed because he was terrified and had cuts on the top of his head.
Jesse Lawrence, 78, of Wilson was the SUV’s driver, according to the police.
Police stated that although the investigation was still underway, they didn’t think the collision was caused by a condition or impairment. There are no charges pending as of early Monday morning.
