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Staff at a Canterbury hotel have described the sound of a ute crashing into the bar as “like an earthquake”.
The crash happened just after 6pm on Friday at the Dunsandel Cafe and Bar on Main South Rd in the Selwyn district.
The ute was being driven by a 16-year-old who was turning off State Highway 1 into the car park at the front of the hotel but failed to stop.
The ute then crashed into the hotel and CCTV footage shows it hitting a table where three people were sitting.
One patron was seriously injured, and two others suffered moderate injuries.
“It was a massive crash. It was almost similar to what I heard during the earthquakes,” a Dunsandel Cafe and Bar worker told Selwyn Times.
One of the injured patrons told Selwyn Times it was like “a wave in the ocean”.
Hotel owner Russell Lilley said it appears the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.
“It was very lucky no one was killed, really,” he said.
“We can fix the hotel, we are not worried about the hotel. What I am worried about is the people.”
The 16-year-old was driving an engineering company vehicle. It is understood her father was in the passenger seat.
A spokesman for the company told Selwyn Times said it was “an extremely unfortunate mistake by a young driver.”
“It has been a concerning situation for all involved. All we can do is support those injured, the staff member involved, and his family.”
He did not want to comment further while police were still investigating.
Dunsandel Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief Shane Wylie said he had never seen anything like it in his 22 years volunteering.
“It was a shock, to be fair. It’s a bit like something you would see on the TV or in the movies,” he said.
“We just dealt with the scene we were handed and looked after the patients until St John arrived and took over.”
The hotel manager, Louise Jordan, who arrived shortly after the crash, said everyone, including customers, jumped in to help clean up.
“It was a whole team effort by the community.”
Remarkably, the hotel reopened at its normal time at 10am on Saturday.