Orland Park eatery gets crash course on reopening quickly
By Susan DeMar Lafferty slafferty@southtownstar.com June 14, 2012 8:04PM
The business at Hienie's McCarthy's restaurant will remain open after a car hit the front of the building in Orland Park, Illinois, Thursday, June 14, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: July 16, 2012 6:33AM
Hienie’s McCarthy’s Restaurant reopened for business Thursday afternoon after a vehicle crashed into its front door shortly after 1 p.m.
No injuries were reported, but three customers were dining in the Orland Park restaurant at the time, sitting about five to 10 feet from the crash site, said Jessica Johns, daughter of the restaurant owner.
A man driving a Chevy southbound on Southwest Highway fell asleep at the wheel, ran a red light at 143rd Street and Southwest Highway, struck another vehicle that was turning north onto Southwest Highway, lost control of his vehicle, ran over the sidewalk and into the main door of the restaurant and catering business, Orland Park Police Lt. Tim McCormick said. The driver, an Orland Park resident, was taken to a hospital for observation and was ticketed for running a red light, McCormick said. The man’s name was not immediately available.
Johns said it wasn’t the first time a vehicle hit the restaurant, but it was the first “bad” accident.
“We need a guardrail here,” she said, noting the building’s close proximity to the street. “Every couple of years, someone hits the side of the building.”
The crash damaged the front glass door and wall of the building. The restaurant had to close for about two hours while health and building inspectors made sure it was safe, Johns said. Since there was no damage in the food preparation area, it was able to reopen, she said.
The front entrance was boarded up, but Johns wanted customers to know it is business as usual.
“We’re trying as fast as we can to get everything in order,” Johns said Thursday afternoon. “We’ve got a lot going on right now.”
