LAUREL, Md. — The owner of Laurel Tavern in Maryland says he is determined to reopen his restaurant after a car slammed into it last Thursday.
Will Kwon says he was inside the shop when a car came through the wall.
"I thought like a bomb exploded," Kwon said. "I was very close to it. I was very lucky to survive."
According to the Prince George's County Fire Department, the driver suffered minor injuries, but no one else got hurt.
Kwon has run the business for close to 18 years, and some loyal customers have been coming to the shop for decades.
Kwon's message to them: Please be patient. He plans to reopen the shop eventually.
So far, no date has been set for a reopening.
Will Kwon's son, Sean, has started an online fundraiser to help the shop rebuild, with a goal of raising $10,000.
"If you are in a position to contribute financially or offer emotional and other forms of support, it would mean the world to us. No donation is too small, and every contribution will make a significant impact," Sean Kwon wrote on the fundraiser page.
An investigation into the crash is active and ongoing.
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The crash happened on Feb. 8 in East Baltimore. The crash killed a pedestrian and buried two cars in bricks from a collapsing building after the crash. The Maryland Office of Attorney General released the video on March 2 of the crash which caused a building to partially collapse.