One of the biggest risks in storefront crashes is the risk to employees. Of the almost 4,000 injuries every year in vehicle-into-building crashes, many are employees who are in unprotected work spaces every day.
Earlier this week, an employee at a Little Caesars in Ohio suffered two broken legs when a car crashed through the wall (LINK) and last month Rite Aid employee Sharla Cummings of Westbrook Maine was critically injured when a car came through the wall of her store (LINK.)
Add to this list the story of Madison Murphy -- who had one of the worst first days on the job you can ever imagine. Her story is below, reprinted directly from WAFF, which did a great job reporting on the story. Madison was enjoying her first day working at the Applebee's in Guntersville Alabama when suddenly, she found herself struck from behind by an out-of-control SUV that crossed the parking lot and crashed through the entrance to Applebee's and struck and injured Madison. The driver was charged with a number of offenses.
We have records of many crashes involving Applebee's, Little Ceasars, and Rite-Aid in our Storefront Safety Council database. All have had many crashes into their stores, all have had employees injured in storefront crashes, and all have had fatalities at crashes into their stores. All of them.
So enjoy the article about Madison Murphy below. She is going to be OK, the damage to Applebee's will be repaired, insurance will cover most of the costs, and the driver will get the legal punishment that he deserves.
But their remains one important question -- Why do thse accidents keep happening at the same places over and over again? Where are the risk managers and the insurance underwriters when there are so many documented reports of injured employees? If we are seeing in press reports all of these injuries and deaths, so is the restaurant industry and so is the insurance industry. Why is their response to do nothing and keep paying for not protecting employees?
It doesn't have to be this way.....
Woman describes being hit by car inside Applebee's
Posted: Apr 03, 2015 2:12 PM PST Updated: Apr 03, 2015 2:31 PM PST
By WAFF.com Staff
A driver crashed his SUV into the side of Applebee's in Guntersville. (Source: WAFF) GUNTERSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
A 19-year-old illegal immigrant now has a $200,000 bond after he was charged with running into a Guntersville restaurant injuring a worker there.
Adres Carmelo-Perez crashed his vehicle into the side of the Applebee's in Guntersville Thursday is being held on a $200,000 dollar bond following a hearing Friday afternoon.
He's been charged with both felony and misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident, second degree assault, and DUI.
More traffic charges are expected. One Applebee's employee was injured during the crash.
"It's probably the worst first day I've ever had on a job," said Madison Murphy.
Murphy said she had just finished her paperwork and was joking with some employees when Carmelo-Perez, charged with drunken driving, hit four cars before plowing into Applebee's.
"All of a sudden I look over and all their faces go white and they're running and I didn't know what was going on," said Murphy. "Before I could even turn around I get slung across the room and a car's through the window and it hit me."
Thrown to the ground, Murphy said she realized it wasn't good based on what others were saying.
Murphy said she heard them say, "She's bleeding, she's bleeding... Someone call so and so."
"I couldn't open my eye," she said. "I couldn't figure what was going on. I was afraid I lost an eye."
Murphy was taken to the hospital while Carmelo-Perez was taken Friday before a judge who set bond at $200,000 noting he is a flight risk.
Meanwhile Murphy is recovering but plans to go back to work.
"They were like, 'are you going to come back?' I was like, well yeah, I'll come back," said Murphy. "I don't expect to get hit with a car every time I come in."
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