COLUMBUS, Ohio — A car went barreling into Galla Park Steak in the Short North on Wednesday night. About 24 hours before that, another vehicle crashed into the S'wich Social ice cream shop.
Now people are speaking out about dangerous intersections in the area and asking city leaders to take action.
"I wouldn't be able to walk or get out the wheelchair. And I would have seen myself dead," said Jose Mendez, who works for Galla Park Steak.
Mendez said he often sits at the table where the car landed for employee meetings, but after seeing the damage, he said he doesn't feel comfortable there.
On Monday, the owner of Woodhouse Vegan, Cara Woodhouse, and her sister Nicole were on 4th Street and Front Street when the car crashed into S'wich Social.
"Because we're here all the time with the restaurant, we see and hear accidents on a very regular basis," she said. "It was very scary to open up the passenger side door and see someone unconscious and unresponsive, and that was something I haven't experienced yet in this area."
10TV found three similar crashes in the Short North in a matter of months.
"It's something that we haven't really seen that much of until these most recent incidents," Ginther said. "I think the Short North is a very safe place, as in many places throughout our city and community."
Ginther said the city has invested additional resources, both ambassadors, police officers and other partnerships that are in place there and in surrounding neighborhoods.
"We know they're safe, obviously, want to continue to make sure folks that are operating motor vehicles, that they are not engaging in distracted driving, that they're focused on what's in front of them, and to make sure that our pedestrians and bicyclists are on high alert as well. Making sure that they're staying safe, but, you know, continue to educate, raise awareness, and do everything we can when we're designing streets and sidewalks and other things, that we're keeping people as safe as possible."