Central Kentucky barbecue restaurant shut down by car crash opens after repairs
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AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Reopened after quick repairs and passing an inspection.
- Another car pushed a vehicle into the restaurant’s front wall and window.
- Owner plans repairs and may deploy a mobile concession unit for the event.
A Central Kentucky barbecue restaurant has reopened after swift repairs.
It was the second local barbecue restaurant closed abruptly by unfortunate circumstances: On Thursday, Straight From Texas Bar-B-Que was closed by a fire.
And on Friday, Red State BBQ, 4020 Georgetown Rd. in Lexington, was hit by a car.
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According to restaurant owner David Carroll, a driver was pulling out onto Georgetown Road when she was hit by another vehicle that pushed her vehicle backward into the front of Red State.
The crash, which happened just before the restaurant was about to open at 11 a.m., caused damage, and the restaurant was closed through the weekend.
But Carroll said on Monday that it reopened after passing an inspection.
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Carroll said Friday there appear to be no serious injuries: The driver was transported by an ambulance but got into it on her own, he said.
The driver and a passenger in the other car were shaken up but not injured. No staff members were injured, he said.
“Thank goodness everybody is ok. All the staff were in the back of the building,” he said.
The building was quickly repaired and cleaned up after the front wall and the framing around the window were pushed in.
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“The good thing is the fire marshals came in and looked at it and said the walls are still structurally sound,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Red State has been hit: In May 2019, the building received minor damage in a similar crash.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 4:05 PM.
