DETROIT (WXYZ) — Raphael Williams was working with his son inside a parked food truck in Detroit a few weeks ago when a car came speeding toward him and struck him, throwing him and his son from the vehicle and injuring them.
Surveillance video of the collision:
Security cameras show the food truck being attacked from multiple angles.
It all happened in the Rivernoise and Davison area as Williams was getting ready to start catering events with his food truck, Unity Catering RBG. All he remembers is pouring oil on the fryer and waking up on the cement.
“I felt a big bang, I blacked out, I woke up on the ground and rolled over to avoid being run over,” Rafael said.
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Raphael Williams stands in front of his Unity Catering RBG food truck
Rafael Williams was practicing with his 15-year-old son, Jermaine Williams, who was thrown from the car along with his father but only suffered minor injuries, while Rafael Williams was seriously injured and spent more than a week in hospital.
Jermaine was outside the truck just seconds before his father called him inside, which his parents believe saved his life.
“The next thing I knew I was being thrown out of the truck. I got up and looked at my dad and there was blood all over his face,” Jermaine said. “I thought he was dead.”
Rafael has been running Unity Catering RBG Food Truck for four years, but it took a lot of hard work to get to where he is now: the truck is his main source of income, and an accident left the body of the vehicle in a mangled mess.
Raphael Williams
Damage left inside the food truck after the accident
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “It’s peak season and we’re losing money.”
Detroit police say one person has been arrested and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
But speeds on the stretch of Rivernoise from Grand River Avenue to John C. Lodge Service Drive are a concern for residents like Brendley Caray. The speed limit in the area is 30 miles per hour, but Caray, who lives and works here, says no one drives that fast.
“It’s awful to have something like this happen in your neighborhood,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’re not just driving for yourself, you’re driving for other people who use the roads.”
Rafael hopes to be able to return to work at one of his usual locations, Campus Martius or Spirit Plaza, within the next few weeks. In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been set up to help with repairs to his truck and medical expenses.
