A 92-year-old driver crashed a car into a restaurant Thursday afternoon killing one person, Gainesville Police said.
At about 3 p.m., Gainesville Fire Rescue and police responded to a silver Lincoln Sedan crashing into Jason’s Deli, at 6791 W. Newberry Road, according to authorities. The car hit two customers who were sitting in a booth at the front of the restaurant.
They were taken to UF Health Shands Hospital and North Florida Regional Medical Center, said Gainesville Police Capt. Jorge Campos.
One of the victims, Pamela Thrift, 77, died later that day at the hospital, authorities said. The condition of the second victim is unknown.
The driver, Harold Silver, 92, accelerated in an attempt to get his car off a parking space marker and drove over the curb, across the walkway and into the restaurant, officials said.
The car damaged the front of the store, but the building was still secure, Campos said.
Silver has had four other traffic violations since 2007 in Alachua County, according to court records.
In 2007, he was assessed a $363.50 fine and completed a defensive driving course for speeding in a school zone. In 2008, he was charged with speeding and paid $109 in fines and court costs. In 2010, he was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian at an intersection and paid $160. In 2014, he was charged with careless driving and paid $154.
Traffic homicide investigators are still investigating the crash and will not make a charging decision until it’s complete, authorities said.
Contact Karina Elwood at kelwood@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @karina_elwood.
A car crashed through the front of Jason’s Deli, at 6791 W Newberry Road, on Thursday around 3 p.m. Two customers were hit and seriously injured. Courtesy to The Alligator
