1 killed, 3 critically injured after SUV crashes into Auburn home
1 killed, 3 critically injured after car crashes into Auburn home
Auburn police are investigating after a car crashed into a home and left one person dead and multiple people critically injured Wednesday morning.
AUBURN, Wash. - Auburn police are investigating after a car crashed into a home and left one person dead and multiple people critically injured Wednesday morning.
A family was sleeping inside the home when a large SUV came barreling off the road, rolled and struck their home before landing on the ground.
"I started hearing screams," explained Francisco Rivera, who at first thought someone had broken into his home.
"My heart dropped. My mind just went blank."
According to Rivera, he grabbed a makeshift weapon unaware that someone hadn’t broken into his home, rather they’d flown through a wall and landed in his bathroom.
Inside his home, Rivera pointed to a large hole in the wall where the toilet once sat. He noted: the hole wasn’t from the car. It was from the person that was thrown through the wall causing the entire side of the home to shift.
"I’m just in complete shock," said Rivera. "I hear a man, and I see his hand over the sink right there yelling in pure agony."
Investigators with Auburn Police Department have not said whether the driver of the vehicle was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, though Rivera said there were a few items that landed in his home that made it seem likely.
Kolby Crossley, a public information officer with Auburn Police, told FOX 13 that speed was certainly a factor, noting that the Yukon Denali appeared to have left Auburn Way South and rolled several times before crashing into the home.
As Wesley Worthie, a neighbor, pointed out: the bottom of the home wasn’t struck – meaning the truck was airborne when it crashed into the side of the Rivera family’s home.
"All I could do was go inside and hug my wife and kids," said Worthie, clearly distraught by what he saw.
Worthie heard the loud crash from his bedroom, roughly 100 feet away from where the truck hit his neighbor’s home. His wife, and kids, were inside the room with him.
Once outside, Worthie saw a chaotic scene – a woman was partially hanging off the truck, a man’s hand was visible sticking out of his neighbor’s home and another man was using his arms to drag himself away from the truck. The description of the conditions of each individual were graphic, Worthie said he warned his family to avoid coming outside to see it.
"It’s nothing you want to see," he said.
Neighbors tell FOX 13 that the area is a known trouble spot for speeding. One neighbor said he’d contacted the city within the past week with complaints – emails to the mayor and city spokesperson have not been returned.
A round-a-bout was recently installed near Chinook Elementary school, however, roughly a mile down the road where the accident took place people have typically regained any speed that the round-a-bout curbs per neighbors.
"You hear cars fly by faster than the Sheriff’s office responding to calls," said Worthie. "By the time you hear the car, it’s already gone."
What makes this particular crash so unique is that the home that was struck is roughly 100 yards away from the road. The car had to travel a great distance to hit the house.
Police are still investigating.