MATLACHA, Fla. — It was a moment that, John Petrus says, everything changed for the small island town of Matlacha.
“Still waters to chaos…in an instant,” Petrus told the Matlacha Community Correspondent Colton Chavez.
Petrus said he has owned, That BBQ Place since 2021, and said he was sitting outside on his patio with all five of the victims, moments before the car came crashing into the patio area.
State troopers say a 24-year-old Cape Coral man is accused of plowing into those patrons, as well as an unoccupied motorcycle before crashing into a pickup truck and coming to a stop Saturday night.
“I Got up when a group of people walked in and the accident happened a minute later. I was standing at the cash register on the other side of the window when the car hit the building,” said Petrus.
“Where my chair was located I would have been the first one,” said Petrus.
It was 80-year-old Mary Lou Sharp who was hit instead. She didn't survive.
On Monday, Danielle Darna, who said Mary Lou is her grandmother, stopped outside That BBQ Place to place flowers for her grandmother.
“She had a smile that could light up a room,” said Darna. “I never thought I would get the call that something so tragic could happen because of somebody's silly mistake."
John Petrus said he has seen more drivers making these dangerous mistakes.
“ I am going to say this as bluntly as I can. We need safer drivers,” said Petrus.
“Where my chair was located I would have been the first one."
John Petrus, Owner of That BBQ Place
On Monday, seasonal homeowners on Matlacha like Mary Lemieux agreed.
“There are a lot of cars that don’t even stop for people on crosswalks,” said Lemieux.
As for Petrus, he says his back patio will have outdoor seating, but no longer will the front patio.
Instead, he wants to turn that area into a safer option, and a poignant one: a garden memorial.
“No one is going to let Mary Lou be forgotten because she is just part of this island," said Petrus.
Petrus said he is now looking for donations for planters so he can start this garden outside of his restaurant.
