SUV drives into New Hampshire restaurant, leaving 34 injured – and two with ‘significant’ leg injuries

An SUV plowed into a busy restaurant in New Hampshire on Sunday, injuring more than 30 diners.

The incident happened at around 12:45 p.m. at Laconia’s Looney Bin Bar and Grill in New Hampshire — at the height of the eatery’s lunch rush.

It resulted in serious damage to not only the pub’s shopfront, but several unsuspecting customers – reportedly resulting in 34 injuries.

In an update on Sunday night, firefighters who descended on the horror scene revealed that of those injured, 14 had been taken to area hospitals, while another 20 people were treated at the scene and then released.

Of those hospitalized, Laconia firefighters said two suffered “significant” injuries to the lower leg – while the others were treated for cuts, bruises and other injuries that were not life-threatening.

An investigation is currently underway – police now say the accident occurred when another vehicle made a left turn as it drove away from a nearby business.

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The driver, who was unnamed, apparently did not see the approaching SUV and collided with the southbound car, driving it into the Looney Bin.

“There were a lot of people inside because it was lunchtime and a holiday weekend,” fire chief Chad Vaillancourt said Sunday afternoon, when it was revealed that several patrons were selflessly helping the injured as the incident unfolded.

The Laconia fire chief also praised the efforts of the first responders, after members of his department and the Laconia police reportedly arrived on the scene within minutes.

“Thanks to the great response from our mutual aid partners, we have been able to help many injured people in a short period of time.”

Standing outside the bar’s devastated facade, he added that the restaurant had suffered “considerable damage” – a claim supported by photos and video showing not only the outside of the shop, but also the ferocious inside.

Photographed before the car was unearthed, they show the four-door Acura still in its interior – with windows, walls and furniture all left in ruins by its wake.

The dining room of the restaurant – where more than three dozen were said to have gathered – was left completely unrecognizable, with patrons warned of the near future.

That is what the owner of the restaurant, Michelle Watson, told 7News Boston that considering the damage done by the disaster, it was a miracle that no one was killed – while it was revealed that the most seriously injured person was injured after being pinned in the bathroom.

That person, as well as the other 13 hospitalized, have yet to be named, and the extent of their injuries is still unknown.

Speaking to 7News, Watson praised customers for taking action in the immediate chaos caused by the crash. Police and other officials said it was this quick thinking that ensured no one involved in the crash sustained life-threatening injuries.

“I’m just so thankful that everyone is okay,” the restaurateur said, as the arduous task of repairing her shop — possibly with the help of the drivers involved in the accident — still looms.

“Everyone jumped in to help, everyone jumped in to make sure people were okay,” she said, also stationed in front of the SUV-sized hole that now plagues her establishment.

“Right now I have three walls that are in danger,” she said of the restaurant’s prospects for reopening in the future.

“I don’t know when I can open again.”

That said, the hole in the restaurant has since been boarded up and the car has also been removed from its precarious position.

The driver’s fate and identity remain unknown as of Monday, but police in Laconia, a small suburb about 30 miles north of Concord, have specified how they believe the driver ended up at the eatery.

According to Laconia Police Chief Matt Canfield, who outlined how the FOX 23 crash happened, a total of three cars were involved, including the ill-fated SUV.

He said it started when a car made a left turn as it exited a nearby business, when the driver of another vehicle — the one that eventually hit the Acura — drove into the same establishment from the center lane.

That car reportedly gave the first vehicle the go-ahead, Canfield said — urging get the driver out.

While performing the maneuver, the driver apparently failed to notice the third vehicle involved – the southbound SUV.

The two vehicles collided in the third lane, Canfield said, sending the Acura into the Looney Bin.

The crash was not due to other factors such as speeding and alcohol, Canfield further confirmed – adding that it was still under investigation.

The 14 injured were taken to Laconia Hospital, Concord Hospital or Franklin Hospital. It is not clear how many were still hospitalized as of Monday morning.

At least two were treated for “significant injuries to their legs,” police said.