An unidentified driver of a vehicle smashed into the curbside seating area of a Franklin Street cafe on Thursday morning leaving a woman injured, according to witnesses.

A northbound Toyota crashed into the wooden planters surrounding Cafe Alula’s Franklin Street tables where a woman was working on her laptop just before noon on Thursday, according to Clinton Courtney, who was walking south on Franklin Street and witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

“All the planters were everywhere, the motorbike behind the planters was hit, and the girl who was on her computer was tossed to the ground,” he said.

“It seems to me the vehicle didn’t clip it, he obviously ran into it,” Courtney said. “Apparently the workers across the road got the plate number.”

Four people were seated curbside when a grey Toyota struck the dining barricade at 11:50 a.m., PIX 11 reports: “A 33-year-old woman complained of pain on her right side and was taken to the hospital. Her condition was not released, but police said she is expected to survive.”

Cafe Alula, much like other NYC restaurants, introduced curbside seating this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic which has put a pause on indoor dining.

A similar crash happened earlier this week at Upper East Side restaurant Delizia when an Audi crashed into the outdoor seating area on 92nd Street and 2nd Avenue injuring three people, ABC7 reports.

NYC now has 6,000 restaurants with street seating, and there have been four other crashes involving vehicles this summer, the NY Post reports.

Franklin Street, which is in the process of receiving protected bike lanes from Kent Avenue to Quay Street, is known for its dangerous conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. News reporter Nina Kapur died in July after falling from a Revel scooter on Franklin Street.

This is a developing story.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *