A city plow that reportedly lost control and slammed into a Forest Hills restaurant last week caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage and sent four people to the hospital. Photo courtesy Exo Cafe
Rarely has a story involving a plow truck and a restaurant storefront ended with the words, “It could have been worse.” But Forest Hills’ Exo Café at 70-20 Austin St. bounced back quickly after a city plow propelled a trashcan into the front of it last week.
A NYPD spokesman said the plow was driving more than 50 miles-per-hour on Austin Street last Thursday night when it slammed into a street side garbage bin, launching debris, ice and snow into the front of the building’s winter vestibule, shattering windows and injuring four, owner Peter Kambitsis said.
“There are usually more people standing in the vestibule reading the menu, or just walking in or out,” the owner said. “I’m happy there wasn’t more damage than there actually was. I’m at a loss for words.”
The owner said he had just gotten home when he received a frantic phone call.
“I heard a lot of chaos in the background,” he said. “I ran back as quickly as I could.”
The accident ended up costing the owner more than $50,000 in repairs but he said he was still thankful the cost did not include human lives. Exo was only closed for the remainder of last Thursday night and half of Friday, but opened up just in time for the slew of more than 100 Valentine’s Day reservations already in the books.
Cleanup crews hit the restaurant the same night, Kambitsis said, and triple-checked to make sure it was structurally safe after the accident. And aside from a few remaining upgrades to the storefront, Exo’s owner said the restaurant was safe and operating at its normal capacity.
“Not opening was not an option,” Kambitsis said. “Now we are up and running.”
Video footage of the accident showed the store front’s windows being smashed in as if a bomb had gone off outside. Several patrons were sitting just on the other side of those windows when the accident occurred. Four people were left injured and treated with minor cuts, police said.
A spokesman for the Sanitation Department said the agency was undergoing an investigation into the accident and would take all necessary steps to discipline the operators of the plow truck.
By Phil Corso
