Local restaurant manager rescues young girl following SUV crash

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A manager at Stella Southern Cafe displayed an act of heroism following Wednesday’s SUV crash when he saved a young girl from danger. Five people were taken to the hospital with injuries after the car crashed through the window.

Ian Kendall, general manager at the local restaurant, was in the dining room when he heard a loud bang and turned around to see a car inside the cafe. In an instant, he responded to customers in danger.

“Just kind of darted towards the other side of the room, just knowing that people were over there,” Ian said.

In the chaos, he spotted a young girl whose family are regulars, visiting the restaurant for coffee almost daily.

“The morning it happened, I had been sitting there playing with her,” he said.

He quickly picked her up, carried her out and reunited the young customer with her family. She was taken to the hospital soon after.

But Ian said the next morning, the family paid him a visit with good news. Her injuries were minor, and she had been released from the hospital.

The closure, which Ian described as feeling like friends coming together, was complete with, “the big smile, the hugs, the tears.”

Owner Michael Lair said Ian’s bravery in the face of danger came as no surprise.

“We have some amazing people, and Ian is one of the best,” he said.

Without his actions, Michael thinks the situation could have had a much more tragic ending.

“To see him respond in the way that he did, and take the right action, and really, really make a huge, huge impact,” Michael added, “So proud of him for sure.”

But Ian said he doesn’t see himself as a hero for what he did. He was just in the right place at the right time.

Meanwhile, cleanup is well underway inside Stella Southern Cafe, and the outside damage is patched up.

It’ll be a long process to fully restore the space, Michael said, but he’s thankful to have a staff and community ready to help.

“We had a cup of coffee with a couple regulars that always pop in, so it’s just, it’s just been a good day. But tomorrow, hopefully, we can start to build things back,” he said.

The restaurant is on track to reopen as soon as tomorrow.