Cambria restaurant car crash under investigation for DUI

A devastating accident Saturday morning in Cambria that saw a car go crashing into the French Corner bakery injuring several people is under investigation for possible DUI.

Large wood planks cover the wall of the bakery building two days after what many in the town are still talking about with some even calling it the “miracle on Main Street.”

“I called my wife because she works over here at the antique store, and I said, you should take a break, you should go out there and see what happened”, says Cambria resident Mike Romansky, “she goes, we know all about it.”

The CHP says just before 8:00am Saturday morning, 40 year old Jeremy Preston of Cambria lost control of his GMC Sierra truck as he was driving northbound on Main Street at the Burton Drive intersection.

Traveling at a speed of between 35 and 45 miles per hour, the CHP says Preston hit the back of a parked pickup truck, then careened into a parked Mercedes Benz which sent the car crashing through the wall of the bakery.

Several people inside the bakery were injured in the crash, some pinned beneath the vehicle.

Of the five people taken to the hospital, three were treated and released on Saturday and two others remained hospitalized in fair condition as of Monday..

The impact and damage to the French Corner bakery building was felt beyond its walls.

“There was some questioning about the structural integrity of the building so we were closed for Saturday and Sunday”, says Alvin Ferrer who owns the Cambria Drug and Gift pharmacy next door to the French Corner bakery, “we’re kind of a like an island here and its really difficult for patients to get their meds, especially in a retirement community like this, but the people here have been wonderful for the most part.”

Crews assessing the damage to the French Corner building believe it can be repaired and the bakery should be able to reopen in the coming months.

That’s good news for the owner and his 22 employees who keep the bakery running serving customers and businesses locally and across northern San Luis Obispo County.

in a brief phone conversation Monday night, French Corner Bakery owner Miguel Viveros said he’s thankful no one was seriously hurt or killed in the Saturday morning accident and looks forward to re-opening as soon as possible.

“You never know, you got to count your blessings because you never know when that time comes”, Romansky says, “everything is going beautiful one day and the next day you’re in an accident and in the hospital, I’ve been there before.”

Jeremy Preston was booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail with bail set at $100,000.