Haven't been there in years.
Good-looking restaurant, pricey eats.
In Marin County the prevailing thinking seems to be, "I'll be folksy if I can just come up with a 1950s style logo."
Posted on 01/23/2009 9:37:16 AM PST by SmithL
When it comes to his daily takeout lunch, attorney Peter Stuart Buchanan is a man of strict routine. He likes the same salmon from the same restaurant, always grilled on one side. He likes light olive oil, no salt, no pepper. He likes generous portions of carrots and green beans, and prefers them extra steamed. And he likes four potatoes on the side.
But when unforeseen factors complicate his routine, serious consequences can ensue.
Buchanan, 73, was charged in Marin Superior Court this week on allegations he drove through a construction barricade outside his favorite restaurant in Mill Valley and drove up Highway 101 with a Caltrans worker clinging to the hood of his Mercedes Benz, police said.
"In all my years I've never seen anything like this," said Mill Valley resident Richard Williams, 52, who witnessed the freeway spectacle. "And, frankly, I hope I never see it again."
The incident unfolded around 1 p.m. Dec. 27, when Buchanan was returning to work with his daily custom-order salmon takeout lunch from the Buckeye Roadhouse at 15 Shoreline Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol. Buchanan, a Bolinas resident, has a law office at 591 Redwood Highway in Mill Valley.
On that particular day, traffic around the restaurant was restricted for road work by a Caltrans crew. Caltrans worker David Ramsey was directing cars through a detour at the Manzanita commuter lot when he saw a blue Mercedes coming at him through the line of cones, said CHP Officer Mary Ziegenbein.
Ramsey, to avoid getting run over, jumped on the hood of the oncoming car and held on. The Mercedes, a 1998 E20, looped around to northbound Highway 101, with Ramsey clinging to the hood.
The Mercedes headed north at approximately 40 mph, with witnesses honking for the driver to stop and a loaded Caltrans dump truck lumbering up the freeway in pursuit.
"I just don't know how this guy held on, I have no idea," said Williams, who came upon the Mercedes on the Richardson Bay Bridge. "They were going 40, 45. If he had fallen off, he would've been done for.
"He had a pretty shocked look on his face, but he was just hanging on. When you see something like that, you can't fathom what happened."
Williams and other witnesses followed the Mercedes as it exited at the Seminary Drive exit, where two drivers blocked the car long enough for Ramsey to jump off the hood, unscathed. The Mercedes then continued on the Redwood Highway frontage road, followed by witnesses.
The CHP arrived and found the Mercedes parked outside Buchanan's law office at 591 Redwood Highway. When they went inside to question him, they found him at his desk, eating his lunch, Ziegenbein said.
"He said that there was a crazy guy on his hood and he told him to get off," Ziegenbein said.
Police released him to an associate pending further review by the district attorney's office, and ordered him to get a driver's test at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
On Wednesday, the district attorney's office charged Buchanan with assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving and hit-and-run driving. He could face up to four years in state prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Linda Witong.
Buchanan is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 10. He did not respond to requests for comment left at his office and home.
I don’t know why, but the first thing I thought of when I saw this was Carole Migden crashing into that gal on the freeway.
Must be a damn good lunch. Note to self to plug address into my Navi for my next visit down to California.
Sounds like Alzheimers. Fine if nothing in his daily routine is changed, but fundamentally unable to deal with daily life.
Nah dude, trust me, its a lawyer thing...and a Moron County thing.
I’d blame it on TurboTax.
The Buckeye makes good food albeit somewhat pricey. I have eaten there several times. Good martini's too. Parking is bit of a problem but sometimes you can get it at the Bart lot across the road. The Buckeye does have valet parking. I will admit each time I parked I had no new accessories on my car when I left and that includes road cones,Caltrans workers etc.
This is California.
CalTrans will probably have to pay the driver a million dollars.
Haven't been there in years.
Good-looking restaurant, pricey eats.
In Marin County the prevailing thinking seems to be, "I'll be folksy if I can just come up with a 1950s style logo."
Translation: aging, nasty hippie whose ilk hide the Bolinas signs so outsiders can't find it.
OCD old lunatic who wonders why people are in his hood.
I can’t wait to see how he handles lunch in prison.
“I’d like a 4 oz salmon with..”
FWAP!
“Der ya go.”
And yeah, sounds like a
A) Lawyer thing, and a
B) Marin thing.
Typical bitter Caltrans worker, clinging to hoods!
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