Kitchener restaurant loses start of patio season in impaired driving crash
Posted Apr 24, 2025 07:16:36 AM.
Last Updated Apr 25, 2025 05:16:56 AM.
A Cambridge woman is facing charges of impaired driving after an early morning collision that saw a building damaged in the City of Kitchener.
It was just after 3 a.m. on Thursday when police and emergency services were called to the area of Lancaster Street West, near Union Street. Officials said that a black Toyota Sienna left the roadway, slamming into a nearby building at 347 Lancaster St. W. before catching fire.
That collision, and the police investigation, closed Lancaster Street West between Elizabeth Street and Union Street on Thursday morning. The closure on Lancaster has since been lifted.
The driver of the involved Sienna, a 25-year-old woman from Cambridge, was taken to local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
She was later arrested and charged with the following offences:
- Dangerous operation
- Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs
- Operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration
Speaking with 570 NewsRadio, Owner of Queen of Sheba Restaurant & Bar, Saba Amha, said she only found out about the damage when she arrived at work at 10 a.m. to open the restaurant for the day.
“It’s not good – my restaurant, it smells now. The inside smells burned,” she said. “I’m not happy. No deck – the people can’t sit here.”
Ahma said she expects it will take a month to repair the deck, which was damaged on what was expected to be the warmest day of the year so far.
The investigation is still ongoing – any witnesses or drivers with dashcam footage can contact police.
