A pair of influencers known for their food reviews caught the moment they were injured on Saturday after a car hit the restaurant where they were filming.
Patrick Blackwood and Nina Santiago were biting into their food at CuVee’s Culinary Creations in Houston when the video shows the glass window near their booth shattering. The clip appears to show Blackwood, who was closest to the window, being showered with glass, and Santiago falling out of the booth.
A female driver told authorities she believed she had placed her car in park, but the car rolled into the restaurant when she took her foot off the brake, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
CuVee’s Culinary Creations told NBC News that it had reopened, but was still in the process of getting estimates for the repairs.
“The chef, influencers, guests, and staff were all blessed to not be severely harmed,” the restaurant said. “We appreciate the love and support.”
The influencers posted a video onto one of their YouTube channels, Unrated EX Files, which began with their table full of plates as they began a normal food review. About 10 minutes in, viewers can see the moment the car slams into the side of the building.
The window frame is pushed into the table, which moves into the restaurant. Santiago falls onto her knees on the floor as she moves out of the booth. Glass falls off of Blackwood when he stands to help her up, including a particularly large piece that landed on his lap.
The vlog then jumps to a series of clips of them in the ambulance and then in the hospital.
“Still here,” Blackwood said at one point. “Um, I’m OK now, heart rate’s regulated. The realization just hit…I was not expecting this bulls— right here. But um, I’m glad I’m alive.”
Santiago also filmed herself talking to the camera as she waited to get stitches, also saying she’s just glad that she’s alive. She said she was just trying to smile and repeat that they were all right.
“This is the second accident this month,” Santiago said. “The fact that we walked away from both accidents … maybe I’m just delusional right now but I’m just like, it’s like I want to break down and cry and I just can’t.”
At the end of the vlog, they both returned to CuVee’s Culinary Creations to eat. Santiago said her heart was racing, but she wanted to “deal with my PTSD” sooner rather than later.
“We came back just to make sure to have peace of mind, and also because the food is actually amazing,” Santiago said.
They both posted a series of photos showing lacerations with stitches and staples closing the wounds.
Blackwood appeared to have a long laceration along his jaw, according to the YouTube video and his Instagram. Santiago highlighted a series of cuts to her face and hands in a post following the accident on her own Instagram account.
“This experience showed me who truly matters; life’s too short for grudges or anger,” Santiago wrote. “Let go, forgive, live in the now, and cherish those around you this could’ve been our last meal.”