LEWISTON — A Monmouth man crashed his car into a pizza restaurant Saturday, coming close to crushing three patrons at a table eating pizza, police said.

No one was seriously hurt in the crash, which is amazing, police said. They didn’t know why the vehicle crashed into the building.

Kevin Francoeur, 43, of Monmouth, was behind the wheel of the 1996 Toyota Camry on Saturday afternoon when he lost control and the vehicle crashed into Old Orchard Beach Pizza on Sabattus Street, Lewiston Police Sgt. Brian O’Malley said.

“I’m surprised these people weren’t killed,” O’Malley said. “What saved them was the car crashed into the building’s support poles. There were no brake marks.” The crash didn’t have anything to do with Toyota’s sticky gas pedal recall. The car is too old, O’Malley said. The recall is for late-model Camrys; Francoeur was was driving a 1996 model.

Keith Edwards, 23, of Auburn, was one of three eating pizza when the vehicle came careering toward their table.

“It directly hit our table,” Edwards said. “All I could see is stuff coming right at me. I could see everything coming at my face. Two by four’s, Sheetrock and glass. I thought the place blew up at first, then I saw the car. It felt like a movie scene. It felt like slow motion. It was pretty crazy.”

The impact threw him and his friends, Patrick Caron and Lindsey Polson, across the room. “Lindsay couldn’t walk. I had to carry her out,” Edwards said.

Old Orchard Beach employee Eric Bennett said he was cooking a pizza when the car crashed in.

“I go to check a pizza, all of a sudden, boom! The car comes right through the side of the building,” Bennett said. “This kid here, I don’t know how he’s still standing,” he said of Edwards.

Edwards stood on the sidewalk shivering with a bit of debris in his hair. Shattered glass littered the sidewalk. Edwards’ friends were in an ambulance being checked. Edwards had cuts on his leg.

The driver, who suffered cuts to his head, was treated at the scene, police said. Riding with him was his son, Isaac Francoeur, 7, who had cuts on his hands.

Both were wearing seat belts and the air bags went off, Francoeur said, adding that he was grateful his son was not seriously harmed.

Kathy Pare of Sabattus said she watched the crash unfold. She was in her car beside Francoeur at the intersection.

“He was 5 feet in front of us,” Pare said. “He started pumping his breaks. His car was jerking. The light turned green. He started weaving in front of us. He weaved into the other lane, then went to that side and kept going straight.”

The driver hit the curb and went airborne right through the building, she said. “We’re like, ‘What happened?!'”

bwashuk@sunjournal.com

A Lewiston firefighter examines the damage caused by a car that drove through Old Orchard Beach Pizza on Sabattus Street in Lewiston on Saturday afternoon.

Lewiston firefighters examine the damage caused by a car that drove through Old Orchard Beach Pizza on Sabattus Street in Lewiston on Saturday afternoon.

The car entered Old Orchard Beach Pizza at the far left and ended up in the section at far right.

Keith Edwards of Auburn was eating with two friends at Old Orchard Pizza on Sabattus Street in Lewiston when a car came crashing through. Edwards had to carry one of his friends outside to safety.

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