SUV crashes into entrance of Pier 57 restaurant in Liverpool (video)

Inside the restaurant, patrons and employees heard a loud noise. The SUV blocked the restaurant's door.

View full sizeFrank Ordoñez / The Post-Standard A Nissan Pathfinder SE is pulled out of the entrance of Pier 57 Restaurant on Route 57 in Liverpool after it crashed into the restaurant Wednesday afternoon.
View full sizeDouglass Dowty / The Post-StandardAn SUV struck this Toyota Corolla before crashing into the Pier 57 restaurant in Liverpool.Liverpool, NY -- A man was taken to Upstate University Hospital this afternoon following a crash on Oswego Road that ended when his flipped SUV slammed into the entrance of Pier 57 in Liverpool, Onondaga County sheriff’s deputies said.

The man, whose identity was not immediately known by deputies, appeared to suffer a head injury and had to be extricated from his vehicle after the 2:30 p.m. crash, said Sheriff Kevin Walsh.

His injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Walsh said.

The SUV rolled for about 100 yards after striking the rear of another car before coming to rest in the doorway of the popular restaurant, Walsh said.

Inside the restaurant, patrons and employees heard a loud noise, said cook Michael Burgess, who was in the kitchen.

"I was in the back of the house when I heard a loud bang and glass shattering," Burgess said. "There's glass in the dining room, glass in the kitchen. It's a mess. Apparently, having a car in your doorway doesn't help, either."

View full sizeLisa Marie MacPhersonThe driver of an SUV had to be extricated after crashing into the Pier 57 restaurant in Liverpool.Here is what happened, according to Walsh:

The man was driving the SUV northbound on Route 57 at a high rate of speed when he rear-ended a Toyota Corolla in front of the Super 8 motel.

The SUV started rolling and continued for several dozen yards before striking a Volkswagen Golf parked in the Pier 57 parking lot. It rolled over the parked vehicle before slamming into the entrance of the restaurant, landing on its roof.

The occupants of the Corolla, a mother and her 4-year-old child, sustained minor injuries and declined treatment. No one was in the parked Volkswagen at the time.

Northbound Oswego Road (Route 57) was closed following the crash. It reopened at about 4:30 p.m. Pier 57 will not be open for dinner.

The investigation is continuing.