Driver Slams Into North Lauderdale Home
NORTH LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The Broward Sheriff's Office says three people are recovering after a driver slammed into a North Lauderdale home with several people inside.
Chopper 4 captured images of a car inside the home on Maddy Lane near 441 and McNab Road on Friday afternoon.
BSO says a woman and her daughter who were inside the home suffered non life threatening injuries in the crash. Neighbors say it could have been much worse.
Wayne Fearon was working on the home next door at the time of the accident
"A miracle, man. I was like, 'Wow," said Fearon.
Fearon says he saw the driver of the Toyota Camry smash through a fence and hit the house.
"I thought it was a bomb went off," Fearon said.
Family members say Tania Henry-Blake was washing dishes in the kitchen while her 6-year old daughter, Davia, played nearby. Her oldest son, Dave, said he and his brother were playing in the garage when they heard the crash.
"I thought it was an earthquake," he said. "Then I thought it was an airplane flying into the house."
Blake says his mother suffered an injury to her leg and his sister hurt her arm. We're told the driver of the Camry was unconscious after the crash.
All three were taken to the hospital and investigators say they are expected to be okay, according to BSO.
They cited the 75-year old driver with driving on a suspended license and failure to provide proof of insurance. BSO said Gloria Lee told them she swerved to miss a car, her brakes failed and she slammed into the home.
A neighbor says he saw the Toyota driving through his yard and feared for the people inside the home next door.
"I said to my neighbor that was working on my kitchen -- that person is dead because that speed that it came with," said Tony Stewart
By nightfall family and friends put up plywood to cover the hole. Building inspectors said the home was unsafe to live in… leaving family members to pick up the pieces of the wreckage.
"It's like a garbage dump," said Gloria Sookie, who lives in the home with her three grandchildren. She said her daughter Tania and her husband were in town visiting from Jamaica.
Sookie says she is waiting to hear word about her daughter and granddaughter's conditions. She wonders how a driver could do so much damage and destroy a home and so many precious items inside it.
BSO says investigators are trying to determine the cause of the crash. BSO also says the driver of the car that hit the home might face criminal charges.
Family members who live in the home expect to stay with relatives and they're aren't sure how long they'll be out of their home.
