Bluffton family injured in wreck forced to temporarily close their Hardeeville restaurant
Don Machete Mexican Restaurant in Hardeeville is known for its special dishes and seven-day-a-week service.
It’s known for its large corn tortillas, made in-house. It’s known for classic Mexican specialties, including burritos and fajitas. Most of all, said Denisse Lozano Garcia, whose family has owned and operated the restaurant for two years, it’s known for its 15-inch quesadillas.
But this week, Don Machete is known for something else. Four members of the Lozano Garcia family — including Lozano Garcia’s parents, Adriana and Fernando; aunt, Alejandra; and sister, Daniela — were involved in a serious car accident Sunday night while driving home from the restaurant. All four sustained moderate injuries, South Carolina Highway Patrol said, forcing the family to have to close Don Machete so they can heal.
“This would be the longest we had to close for,” Lozano Garcia said.
Lozano Garcia said the accident has placed a heavy financial burden on her family, with restaurant bills, personal and medical bills piling up.
The crash happened around 8:55 p.m. Sunday on May River Road in the Pritchardville area of Bluffton. Ignacio Romero-Mota, driving a 2003 Ford pickup truck, side-swiped their car and another while driving in the opposite direction, the accident report said.
Romero-Mota has been charged with driving under the influence. Officials said Friday that the results of a test for blood-alcohol content were not available. Neither Romero-Mota nor passengers in the third vehicle reported injuries.
Randy Hunter, a public information officer for Bluffton Township Fire District, said two people were entrapped in their cars, and one had to be extricated using the jaws of life.
“It has not been easy for any of us,” Lozano Garcia said. “My mom and sister have been dealing with PTSD, and they’re having flashbacks and getting really paranoid due to the accident.”
Lozano Garcia declined to specify the nature of the injuries but said that all four were transported to the hospital. They have all been released, she said.
Nadia Paez, a family friend who owns La Potosina snack shop in Ridgeland, said the accident has had an impact on the Lowcountry’s tight-knit Latino community.
“I’ve known [the Lozano Garcia family] for more than three years,” Paez said. “They were working in different restaurants before they decided to open their own.”
Friends and family have stepped in to support the family, Lozano Garcia said. She started a GoFundMe account for her family, hoping to raise $15,000. So far, the family has raised $1,521.
“One thing we know is that everyone’s prayers have an effect,” Lozano Garcia said. “God really was in the middle of this accident, caring for us. We are thankful for any other day of life. We can’t take that for granted.”
