A Maryland couple visiting North Texas had a terrifying brush with death when an SUV ploughed through the front window of an Irving restaurant, striking them as they ate dinner.
The crash happened late evening at Mythri’s Indian Cuisine, when a Ford Bronco suddenly careened into the dining area.
Irving police say the driver mistakenly shifted the vehicle into drive instead of reverse.
Dramatic video shows Indian-American Raj and Kala Arivalahan seated in a booth when the SUV smashed through the glass, overturning their table and throwing them across the restaurant. Both suffered cuts and bruises but escaped serious injury.
“That time, the car came in, I fell down, she was pushed out the other side, and I was sliding on the floor,” Raj recalled to Fox4News. Kala said her first thought was for her husband:
“I couldn’t find him for a minute. I thought I lost him.”
Their son, Dr Thivijan Arivalahan, was on the phone with them when the crash occurred. “I just hear a lot of commotion happening,” he said.
The couple, who later returned to finish their meal, say they were fortunate to survive and now want businesses to install protective barriers in front of restaurants to prevent similar accidents. Raj urged:
“It should not happen to anybody in the future.”
Police confirmed paramedics treated the couple at the scene, and the driver has not been charged. The incident remains under investigation.
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