The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

February proved to be a bad month for restaurant buildings.

On Feb. 21, at about 4:12 p.m., a Coulee City woman drove over the curb on Main Street in Grand Coulee, hitting the outside of Siam Palace, before going into reverse and backing into an alleyway.

According to a police report from Officer Dan Holland of the Grand Coulee Police Department, the vehicle, a 1995 Ford Ranger, jumped the curb and hit Siam Palace, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage when the vehicle pushed in a concrete planter, bent a window frame, caused damage to the inside and outside of a wall, knocked a heater off the wall, and more.

After hitting Siam Palace, her passenger told police, the driver, 82, put the car in reverse, backed through the parking lot across the street, down a 10-foot embankment, coming to a rest on Seaton Avenue with the car’s rear end resting against a guy wire for a power pole.

About $5,000 in damage was caused to the vehicle.

The passenger, a 68-year-old woman, also from Coulee City, complained of pain in her neck and upper chest area.

The officer was unable to speak to the driver who had been taken to hospital.

Medical staff informed the officer of a possible stroke.

No injuries were reported to any bystanders.

The incident happened just eight days after a semi-truck crashed into Hometown Pizza, hitting part of the awning, the building, and landing down a nearby hill.

Owner Rod Desjardins said he plans to reopen the business after damage is repaired, but he didn’t have a timeline for that to happen.