By Andrea Klick
Nine people were injured after an SUV crashed into a Lake Forest restaurant Sunday afternoon, July 6.
The Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Department responded around 12:15 p.m. to Inka Grill, 23600 Rockfield Blvd., after the car traveled through the front of the restaurant, said Sgt. Gerard McCann.
Paramedics treated and released six people at the scene. Three others were hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Anna Scandalos, the restaurant鈥檚 owner, said she was at church in Long Beach when the crash happened. Staff called her panicked after the SUV had crashed through the front window of the restaurant, leaving shattered glass all over the dining room.
Scandalos said none of her employees were injured in the crash, and the restaurant鈥檚 kitchen was mostly unscathed. The dining room received the most damage and could be closed for months for repairs.
Scandalos hopes she and the staff can clean Monday, take inventory of the damage and begin work on insurance paperwork. In the short term, she wants to reopen the kitchen for takeout and catering orders and clear a path for staff to safely serve customers on the restaurant鈥檚 patio.
鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful that we can stay in business,鈥 Scandalos said. 鈥淢y employees are devastated. That鈥檚 our home away from home, and they鈥檝e been working for us for decades.鈥
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but officials believe it was an accident.