Yahoo News 1 Dead, 2 Injured After Denny's Sign Falls on Car in a Parking Lot: 'Wind Was a Factor,' Police Say
A 72-year-old woman is dead and two others are injured after a Denny's sign fell and crushed their car in a parking lot in Elizabethtown, Ky., police told PEOPLE in a statement.
All three victims were in the car when the large sign fell Thursday afternoon and all three had to be "extracted" from the vehicle by the local fire department, according to the statement.
The deceased was identified as Lillian Curtis by the coroner, according to WDRB News, and the victim's granddaughter, Amy Nichols, confirmed the woman who died was her grandmother.
Nichols told the local news that doctors described her head wound as "catastrophic."
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According to her granddaughter, Lillian was in the car with her husband, Lloyd, and their daughter, Mary Graham, when the sign fell. Lloyd was rushed to the hospital with "fluid on his lungs" and "other injuries" while Graham had a chest injury that was treated, Nichols told WDRB News. She has reportedly since been released.
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The family was headed to Columbia, Ky., where they live, and driving in the Denny's parking lot when the tragedy occurred, according to Nichols.
GoFundMe Lillian and Lloyd Curtis
A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family to help cover costs of a memorial service.
"I am able to say with certainty the wind was a factor. Very, very sad situation," Elizabethtown police spokesperson Chris Denham said told NBCNews about the sign falling and crashing onto the car.
Google Maps Denny's sign
"Denny's is aware of the incident that took place at our Elizabethtown location on Thursday," a Denny's spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement. "Safety is our top priority, and we are working with the authorities to better understand what led to this situation. Our thoughts are with all of those involved."
