Car Smashes into Jackson Fish Co. Market Cafe

A pair of makeshift brick pillars is all that is holding up the front of the Jackson Fish Co. Market Cafe in the Creekside Plaza Friday after a car smashed through the glass entrance earlier this afternoon.

According to Jackson Township Police, an 85-year-old Zelienople man was pulling into a parking space in front of the building at about 12:30 p.m. when his foot slipped from the brake and onto the gas pedal.

The acceleration sent his car, a Chevy Cruze, over the sidewalk curb and into the building, a witness told police.

No one, including the driver, was injured. Restaurant co-owner Paul Tebbets expressed relief everyone was OK. At the time of the accident, there were about 15 people in the restaurant, including employees and staff.

“That’s the number one thing,” he said. “It could have been a lot, lot worse.”

The owners are still assessing to the damage to the restaurant, which, for now, is closed. Jackson Township police also have declared the building uninhabitable until repairs are made.

Once the building is secured and the window is boarded up, restaurant co-owner Chet Garland said he hopes to reopen by Monday or Tuesday, or possibly even by Saturday.

“We’ll be back in action as soon as we can,” Tebbets said.

This isn’t the first time an accident has temporarily shut down the seafood eatery and market, which opened in May. Several months ago, a fire in the kitchen forced the restaurant to close for several days.

On Friday, the owners had a sense of humor about the latest incident, joking they were thinking about adding a drive-thru to the building.

Jackson Township police have not released the name of the driver. The crash has been deemed an accident, police said. No charges will be filed against the driver.

Garland said the driver, a regular customer, was very apologetic—and a little embarrassed.

“It was just a mistake, that’s all it was,” he said. 

Check back with Cranberry Patch for updates.

Did you see the car smash into the building? Are you relieved no one was hurt? Are you happy Jackson Fish Co. will reopen soon? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.