Restaurant struck in hit-run
Police are investigating a crash into a Corte Madera restaurant as a hit-and-run.
The incident was reported at about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Lighthouse Cafe at 12 Tamalpais Drive, said Margo Rohrbacher, spokeswoman for the Central Marin Police Authority. The restaurant was unoccupied. No injuries have been reported.
A witness told police that a driver westbound on Tamalpais Drive drifted off the road. The 2011 Nissan Altima jumped the curb, smashing through a tree and a fence to the restaurant’s outdoor dining area before slamming into the building, Rohrbacher said.
A driver and his male passenger exited the vehicle and fled the scene, the witness told police.
Investigators are seeking surveillance footage of the incident. No arrests have been made.
“They completely took out the outdoor dining parklet,” Central Marin fire Chief Ruben Martin said. “Fortunately, the dining area was closed under the COVID shutdown. There could have been some serious injuries.”
Restaurant owner Gerner Andresen said they closed temporarily in mid-December after outdoor dining was prohibited because the cost of payroll was exceeding the takeout and delivery receipts.
“We were hoping to open again this month after lockdown, but now it’s going to be even harder,” Andresen said. “It’s going to be awhile before we open again.”
Andresen said he can’t get to work on repairs until the damage is assessed by an insurer next week. In the meantime, he will be cleaning the debris left from the crash.
Lighthouse Cafe opened in 2013, occupying the former Corte Madera Cafe. Andresen owns Lighthouse restaurants in Sausalito and Mill Valley.
Anyone with information is asked to call Central Marin police at 415- 927- 5150.