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Crowd lifts Bentley off trapped diners after Miami restaurant crash that killed one and injured six

‘The woman struck several tables resulting in seven patients being transported to the hospital’ says Miami Beach Police

Jade Bremner
Friday 25 February 2022 18:38 GMT
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A crowd lifted a Bentley car off trapped diners after a Miami Beach restaurant crash that killed one person and injured six others.

Employees and other patrons jumped into action after the car’s elderly female driver allegedly put her foot on the gas instead of the brake, slamming into tables outside the Call Me Gaby Italian restaurant.

Video shot by 13-year-old twins Miles and Noah Britton, tourists from Vermont, shows the aftermath of the shocking incident that took place on Thursday evening.

“A car just crashed right into here,” one of the twins can be heard shouting in the video that was obtained by WSVN.

“Give them some space, give them some space.”

And Miles told the news station, “Everyone is starting to move stuff out of the way and everything, and they pushed it enough so that the person had gotten out.

“‘I was very surprised to have it happened right in front of me.”

The fatal accident took place around 6pm outside the restaurant, which has tables on the pavement, adjacent to the road."The woman struck several tables resulting in seven patients being transported to the hospital. Unfortunately, one of the patients transported has died at the hospital," said Miami Beach Police of the incident.

"Preliminary information gathered indicates that an elderly woman was attempting to parallel park, but accelerated onto the outdoor cafe area of the restaurant."

The fatal accident took place around 6pm outside the Call Me Gaby Italian restaurant, which has tables on the pavement, adjacent to the road.

Robert Deburro witnessed the Thursday evening event unfold and rushed to help the victims.

“I heard the screeching, crashing, screaming,” he told WPLG Local 10 News.

“There was a small boy and a few people trapped under the vehicle. We grabbed the vehicle, a bunch of people grabbed the vehicle, and counted ‘One, two three!’ And lifted the vehicle up. A waiter pulled the young boy out.”

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said it was a "devastating tragedy".

"Our entire city grieves for all the victims and their families," he wrote on Twitter.

“I am never eating outside of a restaurant on a busy street ever again,” said one social media user, who watched the car back into people.

Washington Avenue between South Pointe Drive and 1 Street was taped off by investigators gathering information. Police have not yet identified the driver or the victims.

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