SEAFORD, DE — It has been a week since the shocking incident at Slingers Pizza and Grill, when a car crashed through the restaurant just before lunchtime. Today, the hole left stands boarded up, but the damage inside tells a deeper story of the situation that unfolded.
33-year-old Dustin M. Crockett was behind the wheel that day, with a small child in the car. Shelly McCarron, owner of Slingers, says it was a horrifying scene,
“The car came through, there was a horrendous noise that we’re still trying to get out of our head. Just saw a bunch of glass, and when it stopped, there was a car 60 feet inside our restaurant,” said McCarron.
Trapped behind the counter, a 20-year-old employee narrowly escaped serious injury. She was freed with help from employees of neighboring business Fresh Cannabis, who also assisted in removing the small child from the car. McCarron shudders at the thought of what could have been.
“It could have been catastrophic, 15-20 minutes later we would have had our lunch rush and there could have been a lot of people killed,” she said.
Crawford was arrested for DUI, but the aftermath of the crash lingers for Slingers Pizza and Grill. What was once a bustling small pizza shop is now unrecognizable, with debris scattered and the space in disarray. The business remains closed, leaving many employees without paychecks and lives changed.
“We just ask that the community continue to support small local businesses. This can put a small business out of business, it’s heartbreaking. Within seconds, everything that we’ve worked so hard for has gone away,” said McCarron.
Despite the challenges ahead, McCarron and the Slingers team say they are touched by the outpouring of support from the Seaford community. They are working through the insurance process, estimating a reopening timeline of 6 months to a year. In the meantime, their ice cream shop, Lickety Splitz, located next door, remains open, staffing some of their Slingers employees and welcomes support.