Jun 7, 2023 2 min read

Dairy Queen in Washington remained closed Tuesday after a woman crashed her vehicle through the side of the building a day earlier.

Washington police responded to the restaurant at 99 E. Wylie Ave. at about 4 p.m. Monday. Police said an elderly woman was in the drive-thru line when the accident occurred.

Police believe she may have mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brakes, but the woman told officers she did not remember what happened. Police did not identify the driver.

“I wasn’t here at the time. I got a call from my supervisor and I came down,” said Dale Braughler, owner of the Dairy Queen. “She was coming to go through the drive thru, and she ended up coming through the wall.”

Neither the woman nor any employees or customers were injured in the accident. According to Braughler, the vehicle drove into the restaurant’s stock room.

“I have a lot of inventory that’s gone. Shelving units and that kind of stuff,” Braughler said.

According to Braughler, the woman was upset and apologetic after the accident.

“She wasn’t hurt. She was just really messed up, emotionally, about it. She was an older lady, and she kept apologizing left and right,” Braughler said.

By Tuesday morning the hole had been covered with sheets of plywood. Braughler said he was unsure when the restaurant would be able to reopen.

“I’m just glad no one was hurt,” Braughler said.