DES MOINES, Iowa — Support for a Des Moines restaurant is coming in after a car slammed through the front of the building late Thursday.

Basic Bird owner, Joe Tripp, was in the restaurant when the crash happened.

“About 4:30 I was talking to a few customers visiting from Florida when the car came crashing through our main dining room window” said Tripp. “Another customer and myself rushed out and got the tree off of the car and got the lady out, she seemed to have gone through a medical incident.”

The restaurant was forced to close due to the damage, and will be closed at least through the weekend.

Tripp started a GoFundMe page which, as of Friday, has raised $20,000. There were also contributions from other metro restaurants.

“You know we’ve had great support since we opened here a year ago,” said Tripp “We just ask for continued support as we reopen our doors. To help us to keep our employees paid their full wages while we aren’t open here, so anything we can do really helps us out.”

Tripp met with contractors Friday to begin a plan to repair the damage and be able to re-open as soon as possible. He said it could be two weeks at most before Basic Bird can reopen.

“They’re a great business. Great people that run the place and the food is excellent,” said Susan Morrison, of Beaverdale.

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