A drunk driver was arrested after crashing her vehicle into Juan’s Chuck Wagon restaurant, causing heavy damage and leaving a waitress hospitalized, in Waukegan Saturday morning.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 7:27 a.m. Saturday to Juan’s Chuck Wagon, 1522 Grand Avenue in Waukegan, for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Officers arrived to find a vehicle had struck the building and drove through a brick wall, according to a police report.
The incident happened on the east side of the restaurant and a worker inside suffered injuries.
Paramedics transported her to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan for treatment.
Officers arrested the driver for driving under the influence, the report said.
The Waukegan Building Department was called to the scene to evaluate the structure.
Juan Retana, who works management for the restaurant, told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the driver claimed she had accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
The waitress who was injured suffered only minor injuries and was still in the hospital as of Sunday.
“No major injuries, no broken bones. Just a lot of bruising and she’s just being monitored,” Retana said.
The restaurant is closed due to the extent of damage and they are waiting for their insurance company to evaluate the building.
“But there was definitely a lot of damage done. All of our tubing was broken, work equipment has been broken,” Retana said, adding that toasters, soda machines, coffee pots and refrigerators were damaged.
Retana said he believes it could be a month or two months before the restaurant reopens but he hopes it is sooner.
“But we pray it’s weeks as we have our biggest day, just weeks away. Our free annual turkey meals we do every year on Thanksgiving. This year will be 27 years. It will be devastating to not be able to do it this year,” he said.