By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

On Monday, Oct. 31 a car crashed into the front of the Wendy’s on Highway 31 in Clanton.

The driver of the car had slowed to turn into the parking lot of the Wendy’s, and a semi-truck behind her could not slow down in time. The truck collided with the rear of her vehicle, pushing the car into the parking lot.

The four-door sedan continued rolling until it burst through the front façade of the store, breaking through the brick and glass. A customer was eating at a table beside the wall when the car came through, knocking over the table and the dining victim.

Both were taken to the hospital. The victim from inside the building was taken to St. Vincent’s. According to police, both victims are OK.

The area supervisor and manager of the Wendy’s were there on Tuesday morning at about 11:30 a.m. preparing to open. The supervisor was assessing the damage and discussing plans for repairs with other executives while the crew was prepping food and starting up equipment. A temporary wall had already been erected, and the damaged area inside the restaurant was marked off with caution tape and traffic cones.

Manager Marzette McKinnis stepped outside to discuss the restaurant’s plans. He said the store would be opening for lunch that day, and did not plan to fully close for repairs.

“Worst-case scenario, we would still have the drive-through open,” said McKinnis.

As of Tuesday, the restaurant was waiting until all necessary reports had been filed before deciding to make a simple repair or take advantage of the opportunity to remodel.