A 70-year-old woman driving backward — in more than one way — crashed through a wall of Tito’s Tacos’ hugely popular restaurant late Saturday afternoon, instantly endangering upward of 300 vulnerable customers and 40 employees.
“A miracle that no one was hurt,” said Lynne Davidson, the still astonished owner.
Attempting to exit from the Tito’s parking lot, Marie Stathas, the stunned driver, stepped on the accelerator and speedily roared backward, blowing a gaping hole through the previously presumed impenetrable eastern wall. The woman’s horribly mistaken motion finally was halted by gigantic refrigerators that suffered moderate damage. Police did not charge Ms. Stathas.
Even though only nerves were jangled, the spectacular driving blunder was an economic disaster for Tito’s, forcing it to close on the eve of one of the biggest business days of the year, Super Bowl Sunday.
Ms. Davidson said that delegations of hungry fans arrived yesterday from far-flung destinations — San Bernardino County, Orange County, Ventura County — hoping to bite into Tito’s thousands of tacos that are traditionally consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
Ms. Davidson and her husband Wirt Morton posted themselves prominently in front of Tito’s to tell disappointed, long-faced, empty-tummied fans they were temporarily driven out of business by a runaway wrongway driver.
The owner could not estimate the damage.
This afternoon’s best estimate is that Tito’s will re-open Tuesday morning at the regular hour of 10 for a normal 12-hour workday, until 10 tomorrow night.
With a large assist from city inspector Carlos Lugo, whom Ms. Davidson termed “heroic” for his early and ongoing efforts with her business, repair workers quickly plunged into their tasks.
“Carlos Lugo is the most fabulous asset the city has,” said Ms. Davidson. “He came down here within half an hour of the car going through the wall. He got the ball rolling immediately on what needed to be fixed and what should be done first. He had someone here within the hour to get the place boarded up. I think that was done even before the sun went down.”
The Thomas Nagy Construction Co. swiftly restored the wall on Super Bowl Sunday. Electricians and refrigeration specialists were repairing the refrigeration lines and drainage problems this afternoon, and were expected to labor into the evening.
