ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Timber Creek Grill in O’Fallon, Missouri, was open Sunday, just one day after a car crashed into the restaurant building. Now, employees have started a fundraiser for the victims who were injured in the crash.
There was some rearranging in the dining room Sunday morning. You might say they’ve done some remodeling, and they have some new decorations in place. Dollar bills are attached to a wooden wall that covers a hole where a large window used to be.
Saturday, a woman having a medical issue drove her SUV right through the window, injuring three people who were sitting at a table in the dining room. They were transported by ambulance to a hospital.
“She just came through, no braking,” said Pat Diveny, who witnessed the crash. “Made the turn and went right in.”
“Fortunately, it was early," Timber Creek Grill owner Dave Rickard said. "Lunch had just started so we didn’t have a lot of people in here, which was very fortunate.”
Sunday’s special: a 16-ounce Porterhouse, and tales about what happened Saturday.
Paul Hanson was at the bar.
“It was one of the loudest noises I’d ever heard in my life," Hanson said."I thought something had exploded.”
On the other side of the new wall of plywood that's visible from the parking lot, you’ll notice there are dollars bills attached. It’s the beginning of a fundraiser Timber Creek Grill is organizing for the three people who were injured in Saturday’s crash.
“When we were in here cleaning up Saturday night, we decided we’d start a little money wall for the three folks that got injured," Rickard said. "Hopefully we can raise a few bucks for them. I got to be able to find them, first. Once we get some money together and identify who the folks are, we'll get it to them.”
Hanson attached a dollar bill to the wooden wall.
“I just put my name on there,” he said, “it’s just to help them out. It’s not your everyday expense.”
Rickard said the people who were hurt are not regulars. In fact, he’s still trying to track down their names. Their injuries were not expected to be life-threatening.