Taft’s manager shares security footage of car crashing into restaurant, and his first-hand account from inside

For Taft’s Brewporium general manager Justin Ryan, Wednesday was a normal day overseeing lunch at the Franklinton restaurant and taproom located at 440 W. Broad St. Until it wasn’t.

Just after 1 p.m. yesterday, a Buick sedan crashed into the building with enough force that it ended up stuck inside inside the Broad Street eatery.

“I just remember my first instinct was to project the person next to me,” he said, noting Taft’s was open at the time. “But luckily, nobody was hurt.”

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While it’s still unclear exactly what caused the accident, Ryan shed some light on what he believes occured in the moments before it happened.

“There seemed to be some kind of traffic accident where someone was weaving in between lanes, and then they ended up in the middle of our restaurant.”

The Taft’s general manager said once the driver, who has not been identified, crashed into the building, they initially made an attempt to drive out of the eatery themselves, although due to the accident this wasn’t possible.

“We were all yelling at him to take the keys out while he’s trying to back up. Thankfully he couldn’t, and he took the keys out then,” Ryan said.

You can watch the video here.

While the incident caused structural damage, Ryan said, Taft’s is working to re-open as quickly as possible. A contractor has been working closely with the eatery and taproom to determine the earlierst possible reopening date.

Ryan said he’ll know more about the restaurant’s timeline later today.

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