1 dead, 1 injured after car crashes into at least 2 Dallas homes, police say
One person is dead, and another is in the hospital after a car crashed into at least two homes in Dallas, officials told CBS News Texas Sunday morning.
The Dallas Police Department said the incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. in the 6800 block of Woodwick Drive.
Dallas Fire-Rescue responded, and one person was pronounced dead at the scene, and another was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
Woken by a "very loud bang"
"Around 3:15, we heard a very loud bang. It sounded like thunder," Chris Evers said.
The Evers family was jolted out of their sleep and immediately knew something had gone horribly wrong.
"The smell of the vehicle hitting the house was in the house, so it smelled like a car wreck inside the house within the first two minutes," Evers said.
Evers stepped outside and saw car pieces in the front yard of their home in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood.
"We could see where the wall that had once been there had been knocked through, but it didn't just hit the house and hit this room," Evers said. "Actually, the impact of their hit drove them through the bathroom. That's between the bedroom and the master bedroom."
Part of the car crashed in his daughter's front bedroom and almost went through his mother-in-law's corner bedroom.
"The entire shower is destroyed. There was a toilet and a sink right there," Evers said. "I feel a little emotional because my daughter took a shower in here earlier in the evening, and her bag is right there."
Police say a crash into 2 houses is unusual
Dallas Police Sergeant Robert Salone believes the driver lost control several houses up from where the homes were hit, the car hit grass at the first home, crashed into the home, went through the fence, and plowed into the garage of a second home.
"This is new for me. Usually, it's just one house involved. This is unusual. You normally don't get two houses involved," Salone said.
Amazingly, people inside both homes escaped without a scratch.
"When I talked to one of the neighbors who had been out in the street with his friend, he said that the vehicle was moving, he thought, nearly 100 miles an hour," Evers said.
"In a residential neighborhood, most of the speed limits are 25, 30 miles an hour at best. Speed is a factor, so be careful. Watch your speed," Salone said.
Evers's mother-in-law, a retired teacher, owns the home.
"She had a tree fall and damage her home earlier in the year, and she had to pay out of pocket to get that done," Evers said.
Family thankful to escape crash unharmed
The weekend started out happily with Evers and his daughter celebrating his mother-in-law's birthday.
"The amount of damage that's been done here is pretty catastrophic to the home," Evers said. "It's going to be a while before she can actually live in her home again, so that's what we're going to be focused on moving forward."
The second home hit also has major structural damage.
The bricks may be shattered, and the garage barely standing, but Evers feels thankful to be alive.
"You go to bed at night and you think tomorrow is guaranteed. This is proof positive it's not. We're so grateful to be able to see the light of day and to have the time to spend with each other because this is a wake-up call," Evers said.
Investigation into crash ongoing, police say
Dallas Police said toxicology results may show more into why the driver lost control, while Evers remains grateful his family escaped the terrifying crash unharmed.
This is a developing story. We'll update as more information becomes available.
