Woman dies after restaurant sign crushes car
A 72-year old woman died when a restaurant sign fell and crushed her car.
Lilian Curtis was identified as the grandmother from Columbus, Kentucky who died on Thursday at a Denny’s restaurant in Elizabethtown.
According to Elizabethtown Police, the sign toppled over around 1.30pm, striking Curtis’s car.
She was rushed to the University of Louisville Hospital, where she died from blunt force injuries, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office stated. Two other adult occupants of the car were taken to Baptist Health with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Photos from the scene show significant damage to the back seats of a blue sedan.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ Elizabethtown Police Chief Chris Denham told local station WAVE. ‘It’s certainly very windy out here and I’m certain that did have a factor.’
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Louisville issued a wind advisory on Thursday morning, warning of the potential of ‘gusty’ winds later in the day.
Wind gusts across central Kentucky peaked at speeds between 45 and 55 miles per hour on Thursday, the NWS reported on Friday.
Security camera footage obtained by WLKY from another restaurant on the other side of the highway shows the moment the sign fell. The sign shows little sign of movement or damage before plunging straight down into the Denny’s parking lot.
Denny’s is a popular chain of 24-hour diners with over 1,700 locations across the US. On Friday, the restaurant released a statement regarding the incident.
‘Denny’s is aware of the incident that took place at our Elizabethtown location on Thursday,’ the company said. ‘Safety is our top priority, and we are working with the authorities to better understand what led to this situation. Our thoughts are with all of those involved.’
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