3 Rescued From Second Floor After SUV Crashes Into Malverne Home
MALVERNE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Three people had to be rescued from the second floor of their Long Island home after a speeding car crashed into it early Thursday morning.
Around 6 a.m., the driver of a BMW sport utility vehicle somehow lost control and drove onto the sidewalk along busy Ocean Avenue in Malverne and crashed into the first floor of a two-story home.
WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reports
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The residents inside the house were asleep upstairs at the time of the crash.
"It feels like an earthquake, that's all I can tell you," homeowner Javiera Ortega told CBS 2's Jessica Schneider.
"They obviously heard the crash, but luckily no one was injured inside the home," Malverne Fire Chief Scott Edwards told WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs.
The driver, who is in his 20s, told the homeowners he was driving to work, but police said he was going far faster than the posted 30 mile per hour speed limit.
Cops said the driver didn't appear to have been drinking, but it's still unclear why he veered off the road and slammed into the side of the house.
"As soon as it hit the house, they told me the guy was screaming hysterically, obviously in pain," said Ortega's brother Alex Villegas.
The vehicle hit the house with such force, that it pushed the fireplace and a portion of the chimney right through a wall and into the backyard. The home's foundation was also shifted.
The driver had to be extracted from the mangled vehicle and was taken to the hospital. He has since been treated and released, 1010 WINS reported.
The intersection at Hempstead and Ocean avenues is confusing with several different merges and stop lights and residents said crashes like Thursday's aren't exactly a rare occurrence.
"Just as bad, one went into this house a few months ago," said neighbor Carol Watenberg, pointing to a nearby home.
The SUV is still sticking out of the side of the house. Building officials won't remove it until they can assess the structural stability of the house.
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