This post was updated on 4/14/24 to include information from an official police incident report.

ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas — No Horsey Saucing around: the Arby’s restaurant sustained major damaged early Thursday afternoon when an eastbound motorist left the roadway and struck the north corner of the popular eatery.

One customer at the scene said she had just eaten at the diner, and that there were still people inside when she left. Police were called to the scene at about 1:15 p.m., just after the town’s lunch rush had calmed.

According to a report filed later at the Arkadelphia Police Department, the first officer to arrive on scene made contact with Adolphus Mitchell, 88, who was climbing out of a green Ford F-150 pickup that was partially on top of a silver Dodge Ram pickup.

Mitchell told the officer he was attempting to pull into Unique Barber Services next door but when he put his foot on the brake to park he felt the vehicle instead accelerate and that “it wouldn’t stop.” The pickup drove out of Unique’s parking lot and into the north corner of Arby’s, then over a retaining wall separating Arby’s and a plaza next door. Mitchell’s vehicle ultimately came to a stop once it struck a silver Dodge Ram parked in the Mr. Sud’s Laundromat parking lot.

The police report noted that 19-year-old Reid Womack was dining inside Arby’s at the time of the accident. Womack was transported by ambulance to Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia, where he was treated for minor injuries.

Paramedics assessed Mitchell at the scene, but he refused medical transport.

Emergency workers at the scene taped off the exposed corner. The action drew the attention of several spectators who watched from neighboring parking lots. Traffic on Pine Street slowed as motorists gawked at the gaping hole left in the restaurant. In addition to APD, the Arkadelphia Fire Department and an ambulance service responded to the scene.

The collision left the restaurant closed indefinitely. Later Thursday afternoon, arkadelphian.com sent an email inquiry to Arby’s Press Center to ask about the company’s immediate plans for the Arkadelphia store. Past inquiries to Arby’s — particularly related to a rumored relocation on West Pine Street — have gone unanswered. According to public documents at the Clark County Circuit Clerk’s Office, filed in February 2023, there is a plat titled “Arby’s Addition” on a lot between AutoZone and Car Mart.

While we’re still waiting for an official response from the corporate public relations, we’ve noticed in the days since the accident that a construction crew has boarded up the damaged portion of the restaurant, and work appears to continue. One employee commented on Facebook that the restaurant will re-open once repairs to the building are made.