Two women were sent to Hillcrest Memorial Hospital after an SUV crashed into the front of the Washington Street Diner, 8233 Washington Street, in Bainbridge Township Monday morning.
Ann Myers, a 76-year-old Bainbridge Township resident, later passed away from her injuries, according to friends of Myers, including Bainbridge Township Trustee Lorrie Sass-Benza.
The accident happened around 9:20 a.m., said Bainbridge Township Police Chief Jon Bokovitz.
Thomas Herrick, 78, of Bainbridge, said he mistook the gas pedal of his 2014 GMC Yukon SUV for the break when he pulled up in front of the diner, Bokovitz said.
Herrick, his wife and their dog were uninjured, the chief said, but the two customers sitting by the front window were injured.
It is unknown what the status is of the second diner, whose identity had not been released as of Tuesday morning.
Multiple phone calls to Bokovitz and a call to Hillcrest Hospital have not been returned.
However, a source familiar with the accident told the Geauga County Maple Leaf the other woman was Anne Randall, president of the Kenston Schools Board of Education.
No charges were filed against Herrick at the time of the accident, the chief said Monday.
Ambulances from Auburn, Russell and Chagrin Falls fire departments assisted the Bainbridge emergency medical team in treating and transporting the victims, Bokovitz said.
Damage to the diner’s front wall and window were substantial, he said.
An employee of the diner said it was closed for business with the Yukon still in the parking lot at about 11:30 a.m.
Bokovitz said the evidence from the crash has been sent to the Geauga County Prosecuting Attorney who will determine if there will be charges filed against the driver.
The diner, still closed with police tape across the alcove by the window Tuesday, is in a strip of businesses owned by Robert Knowles, he said, adding he doesn’t know how soon it will be open to customers. It will have to be released as a crime scene and possibly inspected by the county building department, he said.
A friend remembered Myers for her community involvement.
“I came to know Ann Myers not from a long standing friendship or through her adoring family, but as the consummate constituent. She had a genuine love of all things Bainbridge,” Township Trustee Lorrie Sass Benza said via email.
“She and Gil attended most every single township trustee meeting, and she offered her thoughts, her research, and her balanced commentary on township issues,” she said. “Whether she agreed or disagreed with decisions of her local leaders, she approached every issue with respect and grace.”
Benza went on to say that in an age where people hide behind the comfort and anonymity of computer screens to “shout at their leaders, Ann owned her words.”
“She was the epitome of a constituent whom I was blessed to know and appreciate,” Benza continued. “If other residents would put in a fraction of the interest that Ann showed for her local community, the potential for progress and good would be off the charts. She will be deeply missed.”
Tuesday morning a bouquet of flowers was laid on the sidewalk. Several vehicles drove through the parking lot and one driver said he has lunch at the diner sometimes.
Check back for more details as they become available.