Fry cook badly burned when car hit Puyallup restaurant. Here’s how his recovery is going
burger joint in Puyallup remains closed after a car crashed into it about five months ago.
Don’s Drive-In at 925 S. Meridian has not opened since a black sedan smashed into one of its walls Nov. 28.
The News Tribune reported in December that the impact pushed a deep fryer about three or four feet back into a 48-yearold cook. The fryer pinned the cook against a wall, and hot oil splashed over his body.
Jiho Yoon was severely burned. The restaurant owner and another employee also were burned, but not as severely as Yoon, The News Tribune reported.
McKayla Peterson, one of Yoon’s coworkers, told The News Tribune on Wednesday that Yoon is recovering well. Yoon was in a hospital for about a month, she said. He has been staying with his parents at their home in FedA eral Way.
A portion of Yoon’s statement on a GoFundMe page reads: “I can’t tell you how much strength and courage everyone’s support has given me. It is not about the money, but the words of encouragement that everyone has given me. I cried after reading all of the words everyone left me.”
Peterson, who helped create a GoFundMe page, raised nearly $35,000 for Yoon’s lost income, medical and living expenses as of Wednesday. She created the page Nov. 30, and it can be found at gofundme.com/f/ v334z3-jiho.
The 64-year-old Bonney Lake man who drove the black sedan was charged with three counts of vehicular assault while driving under the influence, The News Tribune reported. A court commissioner set his bail at $35,000, and he is out on bond.
Andrew Peterson, McKayla Peterson’s father, wrote in an email Monday that the restaurant owner is working with insurance, and that the owner plans to open as soon as renovations are finished.
Some who worked at the restaurant found new jobs, while others are waiting for the restaurant to reopen. McKayla Peterson said she applied for about 40 jobs and landed one at another restaurant.