NEWBURYPORT — A Groveland woman who drove her SUV partially into a downtown restaurant last Thursday faces a negligent operation of a motor vehicle charge, according local police.
Three people were injured when 67-year-old Cynthia June Hatch smashed through a large window at the Black Cow while diners were eating nearby. Hatch was summonsed to Newburyport District Court to answer for the charge following the end of an investigation, according to Newburyport Police Lt. Gregory Whitney.
Whitney added that police sent a request to the Registry of Motor Vehicles to conduct a medical evaluation on Hatch as a result of the crash.
Such a request is to report a person believed to be no longer physically and/or cognitively capable to drive, according to the state.
It was shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Thursday when a BMW X3 sport utility vehicle crashed into a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows to the left of the restaurant’s main entrance at 40 Merrimac St. near Waterfront Promenade Park, according to City Marshal Matthew Simons and Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III.
The three dinner patrons were treated by first responders, including two men taken to Anna Jacques Hospital by Atlantic Ambulance Services. The third injured person declined to be transported to the hospital.
None of the injuries were believed to be life threatening.
The vehicle was towed and the restaurant allowed to remain open with the damaged portion shut down, the release said.