Waitress saves boy, takes impact of car that went into Round Rock restaurant

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Gino’s Italian Restaurant reopened after a car slammed into it’s dining room Saturday evening. One of the owners praises her waitress for taking part of the impact in front of a little boy.

Linh Tran Flores said she and her family had just sat down to eat at Gino’s Italian Restaurant in Round Rock, and they were about to receive their drinks from their waitress when they heard a loud crash.

"In my head I thought someone had just dropped a large tray of something, whether it glasses or plates or something," Flores said.

She said when she turned around, she saw a car barreling through the restaurant.

"As it’s coming through the restaurant, it’s pushing over chairs, and so we all get knocked off our chairs," Flores said.

She said she immediately feared for her children.

"They go flying underneath tables, and it happened so quick it, I was just in shock, and I was so scared that they had been hit by the car, I wasn’t sure what happened, and then I yelled for them and then saw them kind of crawl out, so I had this huge sense of relief," Flores said.

Gina Minardi, the co-owner of the restaurant, said her waitress was right there. Her leg was broken due to the crash.

"The server was right by the table, and she pushed the little boy away, or he would have been hit head on," Minardi said.

Minardi said first responders showed up immediately.

"Like seriously I could just cry because it was so scary on how fast it happened, and it could have been so horrible, even worse, but they came in like if the entire restaurant was taken down and so many showed up, and they need to get so much credit for that because if it wasn’t for them, I don’t even know where we would have been," Minardi said.

Round Rock PD said two people were taken to the hospital and several others were injured. Flores said her children walked away with bumps and bruises that can be healed but have a sense of fear that’s going to take some time to heal.

"They don’t even want to eat out anywhere right now, they’re just so nervous," Flores said.

Gino’s Italian Restaurant has reopened with limited seating inside. Gina said the community has kept it full and kept them going.

"Round rock, y’all have like taken such good care of us for 30 years. We help so many places, and we try to do so much for our community, but it is nothing but come back to us," Minardi said.

Minardi said the waitress who now has a broken leg has 5 children. Minardi said she could use some help. 

Round Rock PD said criminal charges were not filed, and it appears the incident was unintentional, as the elderly driver showed no signs of intoxication. Police said they have requested the driver’s license be put under DPS review.