Car crashes into Longhorn Steakhouse in McCandless

A car crashed into the vestibule of the McCandless Longhorn Steakhouse on Tuesday around 1 p.m., pinning a 17-year-old female employee underneath the vehicle.

First responders rescued the employee using the Jaws of Life.

The driver, an 81-year-old woman, and the employee were taken to a nearby hospital with moderate injuries, according to Andrew Ferrante, assistant chief of the Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company.

“It was a very quick extrication,” Ferrante said. “These guys work very hard.”

First responders reinforced the building before the vehicle was towed and were planning to add more supports after its removal, Ferrante said.

The McCandless Police Department is leading an accident reconstruction, which could take weeks to determine the cause.

The driver also hit a pickup truck in a nearby parking lot before crashing into the building. McCandless Police Lieutenant Jeff Basl said the pickup driver was uninjured.

In his 29 years with the department, Basl said he’s only seen “a few” incidents where a driver causes structural damage to a building.