La Jollans Rally Around Teens in Cafe Crash

The driver told witnesses he was trying to park when he jumped the curb and struck three teens

Just a few days after a man drove his car into a group of teenagers walking along a La Jolla sidewalk and crashed into the Cass St. Bakery and Café, restaurant employees are welcoming customers again.

There were several people inside the café located at La Jolla Blvd and Forward Street when the accident happened at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Police say the driver, 66-year old Ronald Troyer, clipped the center divide on La Jolla Blvd. and then continued onto the sidewalk where five teenagers were walking.

Teenagers Alani Aguerre, Miles Polger and Ian Brininstool suffered fractures and other injuries according to our online partners The La Jolla Light. Aguerre's father, Santiago, described his daughter's injuries as "not good."

"My daughter flies through the glass, breaks more glass, gets all chopped up like knives...lands on the floor face down, and the car lands on her," Aguerre said Monday evening.

Two other people - Sherry and Jeff Macelli - were recovering at home from cuts and bruises according to the paper.

The Bird Rock Community Council issued an email to residents suggesting they stop by the Cass St. Bakery and Cafe to help the business get back on line.

The paper also received an email from a group identified as Bird Rock Against Drunk Drivers (B-RADD) asking people to gather Saturday at the cafe to eat and sign get well cards for each of the teenagers injured in the crash.

Investigators say Troyer has had his license suspended several times after DUI convictions and had no current license to drive.

Police describe him as a transient; property records show he once owned a house in the Hidden Valley Road area of La Jolla; a spokesperson for the current owner told us Troyer inherited the house from his parents a few years ago, and quickly sold it to a woman who then sold it to the current owner.

They say investigating officers determined him to have been at least under the influence of drugs -- although toxicology screenings may indicate some level of alcohol in his system.

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