Tennessee family left terrified after deer smashes through restaurant window and almost lands on their table

This is the moment diners at a West Tennessee restaurant were left terrified when a deer crashed their evening meal by leaping through a front window. 

Alicia Owens was eating with her daughter Ava and the Hayes family on Monday evening after a school basketball game when the deer bolted through the window of the Grind Restaurant in Martin, Tennessee. 

'I hear a crash, and a deer is coming through the window,' Alicia told The Tennessean. 

Alicia from Medina, Tennessee, recalled the startling moment the animal came out of nowhere and suddenly was inside the restaurant. 

'It got up and was going crazy! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! It was so bizarre,' she said. 

A security camera captured the moment the deer leaped through the window behind Ruby, who tumbled to the ground as shattered glass surrounded her.

Ruby's shoulder was tore open by the deer's back hoof, said Alicia. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she received 11 stitches. 

The unexpected incident left everyone in shock, prompting them to quickly rise and huddle in the corner. 

'It's sliding on the glass, it can't get its footing. It's frantically trying to get up,' Alicia said. 

'I couldn't comprehend it was actually a deer. We're in the middle of town, across the street from the University of Tennessee Martin. It's like, what in the world?' 

Ruby and Ava played on opposite sides of a middle school basketball game on Monday afternoon. 

The security camera footage shows Ruby was at the table with her parents Bryan and Jennifer Hayes, Ava, and Ava's mother Alicia, casually eating and talking. 

As the deer unexpectedly burst through the window, both families were startled, quickly gathering in the corner. 

The mothers formed a barrier around two kids, shielding them from the deer amidst the chaos, while Bryan raised his arms to protect others and attempted to scare the deer away.  

Ruby soon got off the floor, with hands on her head. She was shaking a lot, Alicia said. 

She told the Tennessean that the girl asked repeatedly: 'Am I bleeding?' before she found the gash in her shoulder. 

'Ruby was shaking a lot. But she never cried. She just really didn't know what hit her,' Alicia recalled. 

The deer can be seen agilely leaping around the restaurant, eluding any attempts at control. 

Another security camera captured the moment it leaped towards the back of the restaurant and onto the patio, leaving both diners and staff in disbelief. 

The deer was eventually shot down outside the restaurant by a patron with a handgun, Alicia said.  

She applied pressure to Ruby's wound while Bryan drove them to West Tennessee Healthcare Volunteer Hospital.

Alicia said Ruby was smiling and laughing with her family as they left the hospital, despite being in significant pain from her injury and having just received 11 stitches.  

Alan Laderman, owner of The Grind Mac and Cheese Bar, told NWTM Today that he has been in contact with the family to check on Ruby. 

The restaurant owner said the deer was struck by a vehicle shortly before leaping through the window. It exited the restaurant through the back door and was put down by a patron. 

'According to a guy walking by, he said, 'That deer was just hit by a guy' and then it ran through here,' Laderman said.

'We are sending the family some flowers today, get well balloons as well as some gift cards to The Grind and Sammie's with a slogan that says, 'Sorry we got a little buck wild at the Grind last night.'

 After the incident, Alicia and Bradley Owens reposted the viral video on their social media and wrote: 'Please pray for Ruby as she had a severe cut on her shoulder.' 

The restaurant, known for its milkshakes, donut burgers and mac n cheese by locals, remained open the next day. 

'Hey folks, we are open today despite the crazy circumstances of last night. Above all else, we are very thankful that Ruby is ok as well as her family.' the restaurant wrote on social media the day after the incident.

'I guess you can say things got a little ‘'Buck Wild’' at the Grind last night!'