PONDERAY — A vehicle drove into the front of Ponderay restaurant Fiesta Bonita forcing it to close Tuesday afternoon.

According to Ponderay Police Department officials, the driver was leaving the parking lot when their foot slipped, causing the vehicle to accelerate into a short wall in front of one of the restaurant windows. Segreant Trey Robillard, who responded to the incident, said the driver showed no signs of intoxication and that the crash appeared to be an accident. 

"Sounds like his foot either slipped off the brake or he couldn’t find the brake like he wanted to,” Robillard said. “The car kept rolling forward and then hit into the side of the building.” 

Robillard said that two people suffered minor injuries during the incident and were transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure. No arrests were made, or criminal charges were brought, according to Robillard. 

"One patient had some previous old back injuries and wanted to verify he wasn’t affected,” Robillard said. “The other adult had minor lower leg or body injuries that she was transported for, just to check out. All things considered, it was still a pretty minor incident.” 

Luis Ibarra, business manager of the Mexican restaurant, said the damage to the front of the building wasn’t too substantial.  

Despite the damage to the building, Ibarra said there were a few challenges in getting the restaurant back open. He said he was grateful that nobody was seriously injured and that they were able to return to normal business hours one day after the incident. 

Robillard said the incident is being handled as a standard accident investigation, where the police gather information and pass it off to the parties involved. He said that the investigation is more or less complete. 

Following the announcement, there was an outpouring of support for the restaurant on social media, which Ibarra said he was grateful for.  

“We do what we have to do to survive,” Ibarra said. “We got to sell tacos to stay open and survive, so that’s what we’re doing... We are super happy to have the support of the community behind us.”