The Coast Guard has come to the aid a floating restaurant in Kentucky after it was accidentally set adrift in the Ohio. Fox 19 reports that Jeff Ruby's Waterfront restaurant in Covington came loose from its mooring yesterday before drifting some 50 feet down the Ohio River and crashing into a bridge. Apparently large chunks of ice in the river were continuously hitting the moorings, likely causing the break. Two employees were working on the barge at the time, and one was stranded on the boat after it broke free. The boat had leaked natural gas and had its (disconnected) electric lines in the water. A small fire also broke out and was contained. The Coast Guard has now towed the boat to a dry dock.
This is not the first time Jeff Ruby's Waterfront has broken free. The nearly 30-year-old restaurant closed back in March 2011, when it was swept down the river by flood waters and crashed into the very same bridge. Owner Jeff Ruby announced last year that he would reopen the restaurant, and WCPO reports that Ruby is now looking at a Spring 2015 reopening. In the WCPO video below, the employee who was stuck on the boat explains how he watched the ramps break away from the boat and the "wild ride" he took, go watch:
Video: Waterfront restaurant breaks free, hits Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
· Update: Coast Guard tows Waterfront restaurant to Hebron [Fox 19 via Gothamist]
· Waterfront restaurant breaks free, hits Clay Wade Bailey Bridge [WCPO]
· All Kentucky Coverage on Eater [-E-]