Elliot Houston stepped away from the pool table to grab a drink Saturday at the Pour House bar, a move that probably spared him a serious injury.
A car crashed through the wall of the Queens tavern as Houston headed for the bar.
Shattered glass and pieces of flying metal injured at least one patron, witnesses said. Three people were taken to North Shore Community Hospital, firefighters said. No one's injuries appeared to be life-threatening, they said.
Houston, a retired police officer, rushed to help the injured, he told NBC 4 New York.
"I went ot see if the person in the car was OK," he said. "I also turned the car off because I didn't want any gas leaking."
The accident happened at about 5:30 p.m. at the bar on Hempstead Avenue in Queens Village.
