Driver ID'd in Chinese buffet car crash

The driver of the car that crashed into a Snellville restaurant on Friday has been identified as Sharon Swafford, 58, of Loganville, police have confirmed.

Snellville police said Saturday they continue to investigate the incident and have not released information on what may have caused Swafford's car to go through the front of the restaurant.  Witnesses told WSB that Swafford may have had a seizure.

Charges, if any, will be filed pending the results of the investigation.

The car crashed into the Hot ‘N" Cold Chinese Buffet inside Snellville Plaza around noon Friday, authorities said.

Eight people were injured, Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said.

The car was traveling down Highway 78 when it struck an island of shrubs and then two parked cars before crashing through the front of the restaurant, Rutledge said.

Six people were taken to Emory Eastside and Gwinnett Medical centers with non-life threatening injuries, Rutledge said. Two others were treated on site, he said.

David Brown told the AJC that he and his wife, Linda, would have been hit by the car had they not moved to another seat just moments before the car crashed through the front windows.

"They attempted to seat us at a booth, but I didn't like it because there was a wait station for the waiters and waitresses near it," he told the AJC Friday.

The couple decided to sit elsewhere. Five minutes later, the car hit the seat and pinned the restaurant patron sitting there. Brown said he and others began helping the man from up under the car.

"I was only doing what I could to try and assist," he said.

"At the time I was so involved with doing what I could to help out, that I really didn't think about, (nearly being hit by the car)" he said. "I'm just so thankful that we hadn't taken that booth."