Crime & Safety

'Runaway Car' Driver Charged with DWI in McDonald's Crash

The driver, Eileen Devine, was the only injury reported after she allegedly revved her car in reverse into the building Sunday evening.

A 58-year-old Audubon woman was charged with driving while intoxicated Sunday after allegedly reversing her car, full throttle, into the doorway of a busy McDonald's restaurant on Cuthbert Boulevard, according to Capt. George Tagmire of the Haddon Township Police.

Eileen Devine was also charged with careless driving after her 2001 Toyota Avalon allegedly roared into a brick wall enclosing a Dumpster before reversing at high speed into the side of the restaurant's brick wall and doorway at 7:34 p.m. Sunday. Devine was in the drive-through line at the time of the accident.

She was transported by ambulance to Cooper University Hospital in Camden after the accident, complaining of lower-leg pain. She was released from the hospital and police custody with a court summons.

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There were no other reported injuries, but the McDonald's sustained damage to the trash barrier and the brick siding and barrier wall of the restaurant, and one other vehicle was hit during the incident.

Police said Devine couldn't immediately explain what happened. But Scott Kelly said he was an eyewitness. He posted a comment to an earlier story on the accident on Haddon Patch.

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"Suddenly the car behind me went to full throttle and hit my truck with a horrible sound," Kelly said. "It then continued to accelerate across the parking lot next to me and crashed through a wall around the trash dumpsters. It then went into reverse, accelerated across the parking lot and crashed into the McDonald's.

"The engine continued to run at full throttle as I jumped out of my truck. I then realized it might come forward again so I moved my truck out of the way. I jumped out and told the guy in the other car to call 911 as he asked me, 'What the hell just happened?' He couldn't believe what he just saw either.

"I ran to the crashed car and was screaming to her to turn it off. She opened the window. I observed both her legs were pulled away from the pedals and the engine was still running at full throttle. I turned the key, it operated properly and the car shut off.

"She had no clue why it happened and said it accelerated all by itself when she put it in drive.

"All I wanted was a cheeseburger."

Tagmire said the only witness on the police report is listed as Sean Welsh and there was no comment from him about what happened.

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