A startling incident occurred yesterday afternoon when a pickup truck crashed into a Margate pub, causing considerable structural damage. According to WSVN, the accident happened around 3:30 p.m. at Jerzy’s Sports Pub near West Atlantic Boulevard and Northwest 66th Avenue. The building has since been declared unsafe by fire officials.
Surveillance video showed the driver, in an attempt to park, mistakenly hitting the accelerator instead of the brake, thus sending the Ford F-150 hurtling into the establishment. The truck was seen first going into the bushes, then executing a U-turn before crashing straight through the pub's glass entrance. The Local 10 News reported that despite the pub being open with patrons inside, thankfully, no injuries were reported as individuals were seated away from the point of impact.
Adam Lino, an employee at the adjacent Atlantic Barbershop, recounted hearing the frightening noise of the truck as it breached the pub's boundaries. "I heard the truck going through the whole bar," Lino told WSVN. The aftermath left the business's entrance sealed off with plywood, with a visibly shaken driver witnessing her vehicle being extracted and towed away from the wrecked scene.
As reported by Local 10 News, Jerzy Oles, owner of the pub, which had been featured on the Paramount+ show "Bar Rescue," expressed his relief that nobody was injured in this accident while facing the daunting task of repairing the beloved local establishment. "Thank God nobody was hurt, ya know, that's very important," Oles said. The cost of damages has not yet been finalized, but they are expected to be significant.
Officials from the Margate Fire Department and Broward Sheriff’s Office responded promptly to the scene, and the investigation to conclusively determine the cause of the crash is ongoing. Building inspectors from Margate had promptly arrived at the scene to assess the situation. While no charges or citations have been filed against the driver, the pub owner faces several weeks of repair work to restore the local watering hole to its former glory, as he explained to WSVN.
