2 North Carolina Brothers Killed While Eating Breakfast When Elderly Man Crashes Car Into Hardee’s: Police

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Two brothers were eating breakfast when an SUV crashed into the restaurant, killing them both.

Two brothers were killed while eating breakfast when a vehicle crashed into a Hardee’s in North Carolina, police say.

Christopher and Clay Ruffin were eating their meals at the fast-food restaurant when an SUV driven by Jesse Lawrence, 78, accidentally crashed through the restaurant’s front windows Sunday, leaving the right side of the restaurant destroyed, WRAL News reported

Christopher Ruffin, 58, was pronounced dead on the scene and Clay Ruffin, 62, was taken to the hospital, where he later died, the Wilson Police Department said. 

Lawrence was also taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released, police said. 

Gabriela Palacios Alonzo, who was in the drive-thru at Hardee’s when it happened, told WRAL News she heard an employee scream.

“I heard the young lady screaming from the drive-thru and I look in the mirror and I just see glass everywhere,” Palacios Alonzo told WRAL News.

Police said they do not believe the crash to be the result of a medical issue or impairment. The incident is still under investigation and no charges have been filed, officials said.

Anyone with information regarding this case has been asked to contact the Wilson Police Department at 252-399-2323 or Crime Stoppers at 252-243-2255.

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