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U-Haul crashes into packed Waffle House, driver bolts

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Scattered, smothered and damaged: A driver crashed a U-Haul into a local Waffle House, nearly hitting people eating inside.

The accident left a gaping hole inside the Newnan diner early Wednesday morning.

Witnesses told police the driver had just picked up some food and while trying to back out of the parking space, the driver apparently shifted the truck into “drive” instead of “reverse.”

And that’s what sent employees and customers diving out of the way.

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“One of the employees said he had to jump out of the way and lost his shoe trying to get out of the way,” said Waffle House Division Manager Vikash Patel. “Other than that, no one got hurt."

But instead of staying put, police said the driver took off. As authorities closed in, both he and a passenger bailed out.

The passenger, Richard Clarence Giles, was arrested. But the driver is still on the run.

As workers replace the plate glass at the restaurant, the restaurant's boss is just grateful nobody was hurt.

“We can repair these things,” Patel said. “This is just brick and mortar. It's hard to repair an actual person."