LEXINGTON, N.C. — As a server at the Cracker Barrel in Lexington, Stella Rowe never guessed she would ever witness a car come crashing through the restaurant.
The SUV slammed into the dining room during the lunch hour on January 25, only two hours before Rowe was supposed to punch out. She was nearly hit.
Rowe just happened to be at the 'right place, at the right time', barely making it out of harm's way.
"There was a guy sitting at the same table, like a minute before it happened, he got up and I was on my way to clean the table and the car just went through," Rowe said.
She was only about 5 feet away from the car, which ended up in the dining room of the restaurant.
Lexington firefighters were called to the scene around 12:18 p.m. The driver was not hurt but emergency crews transported one customer with minor injuries to the hospital.
After the initial shock of the car leaving a huge hole in the restaurant, Rowe's mind started racing.
"My first thought was like, 'Am I going to lose my job right now?' I'm glad I didn't. I still had to come in for my shift this morning," Rowe said.
Not only is the restaurant back in business, but Rowe says the Cracker Barrel reopened for dinner just hours after the crash. She said by around 8 pm, she had gotten word that repairs on the building were already halfway done.
"Oh yeah! We were open for business yesterday for dinner, we were opened," Rowe said.
Although Rowe and her coworkers came out of the situation without a scratch, some of them were understandably shaken up.
"Today we had a plate break at pretty much the same place where that happened and I was in a whole different dining room and I jumped the moment I heard it, it's like… any loud noise that happens now is freaking me out," Rowe said.
Meaning that while the restaurant may be repaired, it could take some extra time for things to get back to normal.
No charges have been filed at this time. It's still not clear what caused the driver to lose control and crash into the restaurant. WFMY News 2 is waiting to hear more from investigators.