Drive Thru Restaurant

[Bobcat]

RUSKIN, FL (WFLA) -
It was like a scene out of an action movie – a boat comes flying out dense fog on a beach and slams into a popular restaurant.

It happened at Little Harbor in Ruskin, at the popular restaurant, Sunset Grill.

The 39-foot Sea Vee came out of nowhere, say eyewitnesses, at around 4:45 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Seven people were onboard when the boat barreled onto the beach and plunged into the restaurant. Witnesses claim it was operated by well-known local captain, Matt Santiago. He told us his passengers are doing fine, but witnesses were terrified.

Two vacationers in town from the Poconos were sitting on the beach and couldn't believe what they saw. They were feet from dying.

“I've seen a lot of crazy stuff, but this takes the cake,” said Tobias Sabatine. “The way that everything happened, it looked like someone is dead. There was a little kid running around the beach, I'm shocked no one was killed.”

Two people on the boat suffered minor injuries, but no one else was hurt.

8 On Your Side wanted to know – how fast was the driver going? How did he get disoriented, since investigators say alcohol was not a factor?

Officer Baryl Martin from Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said, "Anytime you have an accident on the water, there is some fault in it, we're trying to determine what speed he was going."

The building was turned over to Hillsborough County Code Enforcement.

The driver could face a fine and jail time. The boat is still on scene as the investigation continues.

Copyright WFLA 2015. All rights reserved.

 

[rschap1]

Oops

 

[Bobcat]

 

[Bobcat]

 

[Bobcat]

 

[Ratickle]

It's a good thing he had quads. He may not have made it into the restaurant, and missed his meal, if they only had trips.....

 

[Serious News]

Boater cited for reckless operation after Ruskin restaurant crash

TAMPA — A 39-foot boat crashed into a Ruskin restaurant Monday afternoon, injuring two people on the boat.

The boaters told investigators they got lost in the fog and didn’t realize they were near land when their SeaVee boat crashed into the Sunset Grill at Little Harbor, 611 Destiny Drive, at about 5 p.m.

The force of the collision caused part of the building’s roof to collapse. No restaurant workers or customers were injured, but the building had to be evacuated, said Nacole Revette, a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman.

Fire crews stabilized the roof and extracted one injured person on the boat, Revette said. The boater, who was in stable condition and not identified, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. A second person who was injured on the boat took himself to the hospital. The injuries were non-life threatening, said Baryl Martin, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The man who was operating the boat, 31-year-old Matthew Santiago, was cited for reckless operation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. The owner of the boat, who was on board at the time of the crash, is Jeff Willis, 56.

The boaters told investigators they couldn’t see well because of the fog, Martin said.

“The fog was rolling in and did obstruct the operator’s view,” Martin said. “He struck the beach and the building.”

There were seven men on board the boat, which was equipped with four, 300-horsepower outboard motors. The boaters had left from the Little Harbor area and had gone fishing offshore and were returning to Little Harbor when the crash occurred, Martin said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated. Hillsborough Code Enforcement responded to the scene because of the damage to the building, Revette said.

http://tbo.com/south-shore/boat-crashes-into-ruskin-restaurant-20150223/?page=1

 

[Serious News]

It was estimated that Santiago was traveling between 40 and 50 miles per hour.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...urant-chartered-by-well-known-captain/2218900

 

[Bobcat]

Some think closer to 70 in the dense fog....He's not well liked in the Tampa area. If you want to laugh your ass off, go to one of the three threads on the Hulltruth.com.

 

[Ratickle]

40 to 70 in dense fog. Makes sense to me.......


What did he order at the drive in window?

 

[Serious News]

Video released of boat crashing into Ruskin restaurant

http://www.wfla.com/story/28234878/video-released-of-boat-crashing-into-ruskin-restaurant