A car has crashed through the window of a Vietnamese restaurant at the Lachlan Street shops in Macquaire, the third such incident on the strip in four months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the latest incident, a woman has driven her car through the window and well inside the Kinh Do restaurant about midday on Wednesday.
An Emergency Services Agency spokeswoman said ACT Fire & Rescue and the ACT Ambulance service attended the scene, and intensive care paramedics checked the female driver, who was not taken to hospital.
The restaurant's owners said the car knocked over at least six tables and numerous chairs as it drove into the shop.
They said the restaurant was closed and nobody was inside when the white station wagon smashed through the window.
One owner said they were not sure when they will reopen their restaurant and they were dealing with their insurance company.
The owner of the nearby pharmacy, Luke Murray, said two cars had crashed into his store in separate incidents, on December 4 and on Australia Day.
"It was very lucky no one was hurt," said Mr Murray. "Something has to be done so this doesn't happen again," he said.
Other workers backed his call and Mr Murray said the large concrete pot plants in front of the strip of about five shops were "simply not doing the job", and he would be contacting authorities in a bid to find a solution.
Mr Murray said the driver seemed to be in shock after the accident, and he helped her out of the car.
The car was later rolled out of the shop and towed away about 2pm.
"When I heard the bang I thought that a car had gone through our shop window for the third time," he said.
"Before I saw the car I feared there had been a gas explosion at the restaurant."
"The car had driven through the front window, knocking over chairs, and was wedged against the side wall towards the back of the shop."
Nina Klinsurai, who works at the neighbouring cafe, said she had heard a "massive crash" and went outside to make sure everyone was alright.
The owner of KJ's Hair Care two shops down, Sarah Dowle, said she heard an "almighty bang" and ran outside to see if everyone was ok.
"My car was parked right beside the one that ran through the front of the shop," she said. "I can't quite understand how it managed to get so far into the shop".
Local resident Mary Kayser said "the Kinh Do was a very popular family restaurant and the owners were very friendly and personable".
"I'm just really sad for them," she said.
