Car crashes into Chestnuthill Diner

When Debra Paszko picked up her phone early Friday morning, Pennsylvania State Police greeted her on the other end.

Then they told her there was a car inside Chestnuthill Diner.

“I said, ‘Oh my god,’ ” said Paszko, a breakfast cook and bookkeeper at the Brodheadsville eatery

Paszko arrived at the scene just shy of 4 a.m. The car had already been moved from the diner.

Authorities told Paszko the driver said a deer ran in front of the driver, causing him to panic. He mistakenly hit the gas, crashing into nearby flower beds before crossing the street. The driver then hit the diner’s flower beds, went airborne and came through two of the diner’s front windows.

Along with shattering two windows, the vehicle took out a support beam, three booths and some shelving, Paszko said.

“The whole outside of the building is trashed,” she said.

Paszko has worked at the diner for almost 30 years. She said the intersection of Wilkes-Barre Turnpike and Route 209 — which sits directly in front of the diner — has always been a dangerous crossing. Drivers flying down 209 are given no warning that a stop light sits just ahead.

But as of late, increased traffic has made the problem worse.

“In the last two years, it’s becoming a regular thing at this intersection,” Paszko said. “It’s a very deadly intersection.”

Paszko said she’s tried calling local authorities about installing a sign on the roadway that would warn motorists about the upcoming light, but hasn’t been able to make any headway.

“Nobody does anything,” she said.

The damage will cost between $30,000 and $40,000 to repair, by Paszko’s estimates. But she added there may be a silver lining.

“We had originally talked about remodeling the whole outside of the building, so maybe this is the push to get it done,” Paszko said with a chuckle.

The diner was quickly boarded up and remained open for business.