Crash closes Sault's Swiss Chalet (14 photos)

At 4:30 p.m. today, Tracy Strum, supervisor at the Sault Ste. Marie Swiss Chalet, was at the front of the restaurant.

Talking to some patrons.

Suddenly there was a huge crash.

Strum said she thought the whole front of the restaurant was going to come down, as an older-model blue Buick crashed through the front doors.

No one was injured.

But the people sitting in the front booth and in the vehicle were all pretty shaken up, Strum said.

"After the paramedics checked out the driver and said she was okay, I offered her a glass of water to help calm her a bit," said Strum. "The lady was so shaken she asked for a whole chicken to go."

Another supervisor on duty at the time, Marco Bernabucci, said the woman driving had been attempting to park in a handicapped spot at the front of the restaurant.

"Her foot slipped off the brake onto the accelerator and she panicked," Bernabucci said. "She and her passenger appeared to be unhurt but pretty upset."

He said the restaurant will be closed for at least a few days while they have the damage assessed and repaired.

"It's difficult to say how long until we have it looked at," Bernabucci said.

Strum also said that, when the car was pulled out of the foyer, there didn't appear to be a lot of damage to it.