Crash update: Kinglet is ‘deflated but not defeated’
By Terry Murry on Monday, March 21st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla Police Department responded to the scene of an accident at 55 W. Cherry St. Saturday when a car crashed into Kinglet, a newly-opened restaurant in the historic Whitehouse-Crawford Building. Officers arrived at about 7:30 p.m. to find a small SUV, driven by a 20-year-old male, crashed into the side of the building. At the time of the crash, it was estimated about 100 people were inside the restaurant.
“The collision caused the bricks to crumble into the prep kitchen and by some amazing miracle, none of our staff were injured,” Kinglet owner and chef Maximillian Petty said. “Everyone’s a little shaken.”
According to WWPD, the driver was treated at the scene by medics and then transported to Providence St. Mary Medical Center. No further details on the driver’s condition or injuries were released. Officers who responded suspect there may have been some sort of distraction with the driver inside the vehicle prior to the crash, but the incident is still under investigation.
“There was no indication that there was anyone else in the vehicle with the driver at the time of the crash, and no indication that the driver was under the influence of anything,” Sgt. Gunner Fulmer said.
The building will be repaired and the historic brick will be patched. According to Petty, Kinglet will be closed until further notice. Guests with reservations over the next several days will be contacted about cancellations and rescheduling. Petty opened Kinglet about three weeks ago, taking over the Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant space which closed in spring 2020. “Opening a restaurant feels a lot like building a train,” Petty said. “We’ve spent months designing and crafting our train and it’s just begun rolling. We’re not at high speed, we’re not very efficient yet, and guzzling a lot of resources to stay in motion. This car has knocked our train off its tracks and we’re stopped for repair again. We’re deflated, but not defeated.”
