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SALT LAKE CITY — A man is in the hospital Saturday after he crashed his vehicle into a fast food restaurant.
Around 10:20 a.m., Salt Lake City Fire Department Cpt. Bruce Healy and his team of three other firefighters were returning from filling their vehicle with fuel when, at the intersection of 2100 South and Redwood Road, they noticed the car in the lane next to them was being pushed forward.
"Initially it looked like he just kind of slid into her, but then we observed that his car was actually accelerating and pushing her out into traffic and into the intersection."
The female driver of the car being pushed was unable to stop her vehicle due to slick roads, Healy said. The fire crew began pumping their vehicle's air horn to alert the male driver behind the woman to stop.
The driver, however, did not stop, and pushed the woman's car out of the way, and sped through the intersection, narrowly missing an oncoming diesel truck, Healy said. The female driver was not injured.
The car then went over the intersection corner curb, through a parking lot and drove into the dining room portion of the Burger King restaurant.
The vehicle burst into flames, and firefighters responded immediately. They called in additional resources, including 16 other firefighters and Salt Lake City Police Department.
When removed from his vehicle, the driver was in full cardiac arrest. Paramedics began resuscitation efforts, and were able to revive the man.
The driver was transported to Intermountain Medical Center with traumatic injuries.
Firefighters immediately evacuated the restaurant, which was vacant at the time except for five employees. The employees were in the kitchen and business areas of the restaurant at the time of the crash.
"We fully expected when we entered the building to find a dining room full of victims," Healy said. "Fortunately, and I sort of attribute it to the weather this morning, the restaurant itself, the dining area where the car came into the building, was vacant at that time."
Healy said that the quick thinking of his team made for a smoother response to the emergency.
"This is a case of we were in the right place at the right time. ...The men quickly sprung into action. We had a lot of problems that had to be dealt with very quickly."
The cause of the crash is under investigation by SLCPD.
