Suspected DUI crash into Palm Springs outdoor dining patio raises safety questions
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - There have been questions raised about outdoor dining patio safety after a suspected drunk driver crashed into the front dining patio of Casa Blanca in Downtown Palm Springs.
On Saturday, January 3, Palm Springs Police responded to reports of a vehicle that drove into the front patio of Casa Blanca and fled the scene shortly after 1 a.m. The department says the crash caused extensive damage to the restaurant and vehicle.
Street cameras found the driver was also driving opposite traffic on South Palm Canyon.
While the parklet has now been rebuilt by restaurant owners, some patrons say the crash has given them doubts about outdoor dining.
"There's so many distractions nowadays. They're going to be drinking. Besides that, there’s distractions with cell phones, with texting. I understand during the Covid time it was kind of a necessity kept people in business, but I don't know, I just I would just be nervous," Billy Mottola, the owner of Broken Yolk Cafe says he has resisted installing parklets at his restaurants.
Urs Wyler, the owner of the Thirsty Palms restaurant next to Casa Blanca, says he's spent more than $20,000 building the parklet and he hopes the crash won't impact his own business.
"Such a crash is never ever good for business. People think it’s unsafe, but the driver hit the thing from the side, not the driving side," Wyler said referencing the driver going the wrong way.
News Channel 3 looked into city parklet regulations that order all railing be at least 3 feet high, and built out of steel, iron, aluminum, treated wood or wall grass. The city also says businesses must have concrete barriers that go up to the sidewalks and wheel stops.
At the Palm Springs Police Department, Capt. Gustavo Araiza says accidents like this are rare, but could've been much deadlier had it been during the day.
"Normally when the restaurants are operational, and they're having their patrons sit out on the parklet, there's a lot of traffic downtown, so it doesn't permit the speed at which this individual did this. If the business in this case decided they want to stay open late night, we might have been looking at a different scenario," he said.
The city says they currently have 9 parklets registered that are authorized through December 2028.
News Channel 3 spoke with the owner of Casa Blanca on the phone, who said he estimates the rebuild will cost nearly $20,000, but they are hopeful a crash like that won't happen again.
