PARIS — Courtney Fox decided against accessing a McDonald’s bathroom after a car struck the building and buckled the hallway. 

“He pulled back after he hit,” Fox said. “I thought someone had hit the doors or the trash can. That’s when I looked.”   

Fox, of Waterford, along with family members Dawn and Jodi Fox of Auburn and Waterford, had just entered the McDonald’s at 118 Main St. in Paris when they heard a loud bang. They expected to see a collision of two cars. 

Instead, a teal 1994 Crown Victoria was backing up after running into an outside wall.

The occupants, Auburn residents Claire Naum, 85, and driver George Naum, 87, were pulling into a parking space when George said he went for the brake — and, evidently, hit the accelerator. 

There were no injuries in the noontime Tuesday accident, which occurred when the restaurant was half full with the lunchtime crowd arriving.

The vehicle smashed a concrete trash can outside on its way toward the wall. The car suffered minor damage to the front end, but was operable. 

Inside, the hallway leading from the main entrance toward the bathroom was blocked. Wood paneling was indented several inches and a ceiling tile was missing. An officer with the Paris Police Department said an engineer had been dispatched to assess the damage. No charges were filed. 

The Naums, who said they traveled from Auburn to get a late breakfast of coffee and raspberry muffins at a local bakery, decided on the fast-food giant after finding the bakery closed. After the incident, they went ahead with their meal plans. 

ccrosby@sunjournal.com