Speeding car catapults off Highway 80 exit ramp into apartment building in San Francisco
A speeding driver careened off a freeway off-ramp and crashed into an apartment building in downtown San Francisco late Sunday, the California Highway Patrol said.
The woman driving the car was fortunately wearing a seatbelt, and was extricated from the badly damaged car before being taken to the hospital. She was the only one in the car and was in stable condition on Monday morning, CHP Officer Mark Andrews said.
The wreck happened shortly after 11 p.m. when a Toyota Corolla headed west on Interstate Highway 80 entered the Harrison Street off-ramp "at an unsafe speed," the CHP said.
Davidson Bidwell-Waite has lived in the Clocktower Lofts for seven years next to I-80. He said on Sunday night he was in bed when he heard a loud crash.
"There was a big boom and the building shook," said Bidwell-Waite. "I immediately threw on my jacket and ran out."
The Toyota had hit a wall on the north side of the exit as it entered the curve, and then was launched into the Clock Tower Lofts building next to the ramp, Andrews said.
After hitting the building, the car descended and came to rest on the shoulder of the ramp.
The second and third floors of the building were damaged in the crash. Residents told KPIX that the impact of the vehicle into the building "felt like an earthquake."
"We discovered in the hallway a couple of weights from the window that had actually been catapulted through the window," Bidwell-Waite said. "To have something like this happen, especially here, we feel it deeply."
A total of four windows were destroyed inside the historical building.
"This incident is a good reminder to ensure proper usage of a safety belt for any drivers and for all passengers," the CHP said on social media.
The crash is under investigation.