A long weekend meal turned tragic for one Edmonton family after a car crashed through patio wall, crushing and killing a toddler.
According to the Edmonton Journal, a 62-year-old male is in custody after a blue Acura quickly accelerated through a glass barrier of Ric's Grill near 142 Street and 23 Avenue Saturday evening.
“Allegedly a vehicle drove through an outdoor restaurant patio hitting a family that was dining at a patio and pinning a two year old against a wall,” Edmonton police spokesman Scott Pattison told 660 News.
“I’m not sure what the driver was doing, but he went through the glass partition right into a group of people on the patio," Staff Sgt. Steven Chwok told the Journal.
CBC Edmonton reports all four family members were taken to hospital. The boy’s mother had glass embedded in her legs, his father had rib and back injuries and a one-year-old sibling had scratches.
“It’s absolutely horrible. A family comes out here to enjoy dinner on a lovely night like this on a patio,” Insp. Brian Nowlan told the Edmonton Sun.
“It’s a parking lot, some 50 metres from a roadway — who would think that you’d be in peril from traffic? It’s mind boggling.”
Police say alcohol may have been a factor and are investigating.