The family, who runs one of Mobile’s most historic restaurants, are mourning the wake of a fatal accident Monday afternoon.
Robin Russell Hamlin died on Monday after being hit by a vehicle while crossing Old Shell Road on Kenneth Street near the Dew Drop Inn. She was the wife of Dew Drop owner Powell Hamlin.
According to the mobile police authority, the officers advanced shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday. They found 59-year-old Hamlin “conscious and alert” lying on the roadway after he was struck by a westbound vehicle while attempting to cross the road. The driver stayed at the scene and, according to the police report, showed no signs of impairment.
Although Hamlin “was conscious and alert prior to transport to hospital,” police were notified at 6:30 p.m. Monday “that the victim had died of her injuries.”
“This post is hard to write so I’ll be brief,” reads a subsequent post on the Dew Drop Inn’s Facebook page. “Yesterday we unexpectedly lost a dear member of our Dew Drop family. Robin Russell Hamlin, wife of owner Powell Hamlin, was tragically hit by a car and killed trying to cross the street. Putting those words together doesn’t seem to make any sense. It doesn’t seem real. We as a family all need time to process and rest. And so we will be closed today to record everything.”
The post continued, “We humbly ask for your love and prayers: prayers for Powell, her sweet daughter Arden, and her incredible family as they navigate this extremely intense and difficult time. We ask that you wrap them in your love and support. And we ask that you give your family and friends a little tighter hug today and tell them how much you love them.”
This post drew over 600 replies, reflecting the Dew Drop Inn’s large clientele. The Dew Drop opened in 1924 and moved to its current location in the 1930s—an era when the location, now deep in Midtown, would have been considered the virtual West Mobile. Powell Hamlin’s father bought it in 1968 and Hamlin has run it since 1991. It’s famous for its menu, which ranges from signature hot dogs to seafood.
“The Powell and Robin family and staff at Dew Drop would like to thank you all for the love and support you have shown us,” the restaurant executive said in another post. “I can’t reply, comment and share to every message. But each was read and appreciated.”
The restaurant has announced that it will be closed through Thanksgiving weekend. Police say the investigation into the accident is ongoing.
