An early morning incident in Downey resulted in a destroyed fire hydrant and a decapitated roadside attraction at Bob's Big Boy restaurant. The crash occurred around 2 a.m., when a female driver hit a fire hydrant on Firestone Boulevard, near Old River School Road, sending the dislodged fixture hurtling toward the large fibreglass statue known as "Bob." Video footage taken at the scene showed the statue's head was sheared off, according to KTLA.
The driver was reportedly pinned inside her car, leading to an extraction operation that used the jaws of life. She was transported to the hospital, although her condition is currently unknown. The flooding caused by the damaged hydrant at the front of the popular diner chain, was recorded on video, evidencing water shooting into the air and a tragic comic scene wherein "Bob" stared headless into the Downey night.
The fate of the iconic mascot and the details of the accident have piqued local interest, with ABC7 noting that the restaurant's statue "will have to be repaired" after this incident. Though nobody besides the driver was injured, the crash left behind considerable wreckage and a flooded street that demanded rapid intervention from LA County Public Works and SoCal Edison crews, who responded to fix the damaged utilities, per NBC Los Angeles.
The cause of the crash is not yet clear and investigations are ongoing. Downey police have been contacted for a statement, but have not provided further information at the time of this report.
