Man escapes injury when truck crashes into Texas Roadhouse on Shallowford Road

Brooks Ward, 25, said God saved him today at the Texas Roadhouse on Shallowford Road, when a truck crashed through the wall and into the booth where he sat reading his daily Bible devotionals.

"I was just kind of thinking through God's word and just praying," he said. "It sounded like a bomb went off when it hit the wall."

He said the truck burst through the wall and into his booth, sending wood fragments flying and destroying everything except where he sat. From there, he said he pulled himself up and crawled over the stopped truck, and he escaped with nothing more than a scratch on his elbow.

"It was pretty wild," he said.

Patrick Todoro, marketing manager, said the truck went through the back right corner in a closed-off section. He said only the back end of the truck was visible from the outside.

"It looked like she parked the truck in the restaurant," he said.

Ward said the driver was an elderly woman, and although she was shaken, she also appeared to be uninjured.

Once free from the booth, Ward said he went to grab dinner and go to Starbucks, to finish up a sermon he was working on before returning to work at the restaurant. Ward also works as a spiritual life coordinator for the male students at Tennesee Temple University.

"I just think that God was maybe reminding me of the fraility of life," he said of the accident. "Maybe this is a good way to share the Gospel and show people life is short and He gives it to us as a gift."

The Texas Roadhouse will be closed Friday night, but Ward said it may re-open the rest of the restaurant as early as tomorrow.

Contact staff writer Hannah Smith at hsmith@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6731.

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