Elderly Woman Drives Car Into Restaurant

Published 12:00 am Monday, December 26, 2005

WILMETTE, Ill. – An elderly woman drove a car through the glass front of a restaurant in this Chicago suburb Thursday, sending nine people to hospitals, police said.

The 94-year-old driver hit a parked vehicle before accelerating into the lobby of the Panera Bread restaurant around 1 p.m., striking eight people who ranged in age from 13 to 47 years old, said Wilmette Deputy Police Chief Brian King.

The eight victims and a ninth person inside the car all were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening, King said.

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Investigators will examine the car for mechanical problems and talk to witnesses before determining whether to file charges against the driver, King said.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)