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Posted: 12:04 AM Aug 26, 2009
Woman picking up pieces after SUV slams into home
South Bend, IN A car slammed into a South Bend home and leaves a giant mess.
Reporter: Brandon Lewis Email Address: Brandon.Lewis@wndu.com |
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Luckily nobody was injured during the Sunday morning crash.
Police say the accident happened a little before 3:30 a.m.
Sunday was the second time in four years a car has crashed into the same house. Last time it ran over the fence and came within inches of hitting the gas meter.
This time it plowed through the living room window and into the home, coming just feet from where Elonda Hamilton sleeps.
"You can see the structural damage here, particularly on this side here, and I want to show you how the house buckled," pointed out Hamilton.
Hamilton planned to take her youngest son to his first day of college Sunday morning, those plans were postponed until the afternoon.
Her second youngest child came to say goodbye to his younger brother. He then left the house to go out instead of sleeping on the couch. Initially Hamilton didn't want him to go out, but if he did stay in he likely would have been killed by the crash.
The accident destroyed nearly everything in her living room and caused a mess throughout her home.
"This was the best part of my house! I raised six children in this house," said Hamilton.
She proudly displayed pictures of her living room before the accident.
"I just had Pergo laminated flooring put down. This is my laminated flooring, this is what happened to it," said Hamilton as she motioned to a pile of debris sitting on the floor.
Hamilton's plants were also destroyed in the crash. Many have been in her home for 30 years.
"I had all of my plants on a table. I had one plant that was given to me when my daughter was born," Hamilton said.
Police didn't catch the driver of the SUV, but apprehended his passenger.
According to a police report released Tuesday afternoon, police know the drivers name, but haven't made any formal arrest.
Hamilton has been asking the city council for a stop sign in front of her house.
If a stop sign was in place, the first accident likely would not have occurred, but would not have made any impact on the recent accident.
Hamilton says she will continue her fight for a stop sign. She says the four way stop sign would slow drivers down and make the neighborhood safer.

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