By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

State Rep. Dudley Spade breakfasted at the City Limits Diner and Pancake House in Tecumseh expecting to meet with a constituent early Friday morning. Instead, he met with the front end of a gold 2002 Pontiac Aztek that drove into the south wall of the restaurant.

According to Tecumseh Police Chief Mack Haun, the Aztek was driven by Rochelle D. Bird, 63, of Tecumseh. The report stated that Bird’s foot slipped from the brake pedal onto the gas and the vehicle hit the wall of the diner where booths are located.

Spade was waiting to meet with a constituent in the second to last booth when Tecumseh City Council member Gary Naugle stopped by to ask him a question. At about 8:28 a.m., Bird’s vehicle struck their booth and the empty booth behind them.

“We thought it was an explosion,”Spade said. “It all happened so quickly. Then we saw the front end of the car.”

Spade and Naugle were knocked from their seats and glass from the windows alongside the booths was strewn across the tabletops and seats. The booth behind them, which was knocked clear of the wall, was empty. Spade said that there was a couple sitting in the booth who had left moments before the accident. “Everyone was very fortunate, because there was a lot of broken glass,” he said.

Spade commended the Tecumseh Police Department and rescue workers responded quickly and said everyone, including Bird and the Diner staff, was helpful and cooperative. Spade and Naugle sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene. Bird was not injured in the accident. Naugle was taken via ambulance to Herrick Medical Center after complaining of neck pain. Spade transported himself to Herrick where he received X-rays for an injured hip. He also sustained a cut to his leg. “The nurse at Herrick said that basically I was in a car accident without the benefit of being in the car, but I’m fine. I just have a few bumps,” he said, adding that he checked on Naugle before leaving the hospital and reported that Naugle was doing okay as well.

Spade cleared his appointments for the morning, but said he planned to keep his afternoon appointments. He said when he called his staff in Lansing to let them know what happened, one staff member joked with him saying, “Who said politics isn’t a contact sport?”

While Spade and his staff did make light of the situation, he said it was a blessing that no one was seriously injured. “It was just over before we knew it and in that split second we didn’t know what had happened. It was the last thing I’d have expected to happen.Hopefully, it’s a once in a lifetime experience,” said Spade, noting that he’ll probably choose a booth in the middle of the restaurant in the future.

The restaurant was closed for the day Friday, but City Limits Diner owner Bobby Stamatopoulos said the restaurant would open for business again Saturday with the damaged section cordoned off. He had no word yet on how long it would take to repair the damaged section.
 

[1] [2] [3] [4]