Driver, 81, Crashes Into House, Narrowly Misses Families
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — An 81-year-old man was listed in critical condition Wednesday, after he drove an SUV into a house in Santa Ana.
The crash happened about 10:40 a.m.
Cell phone video shows witnesses trying to help the driver after the crash, who was trapped in the front seat. Pieces of a metal fence pole had pierced his neck.
Police say the driver ran a stop sign on Saint Gertrude Place
Patricia Gonzalez was pushing a child in a stroller, and jumped out of the way just in time.
"Today is not my time," said Gonzales, fighting back tears. "I have five girls, and I don't know, today's just not my time."
The driver was going at least 50 mph, according to police.
The SUV smashed through a fence, hit a pole, broke through a metal fence and then crashed into the garage of a home.
The impact pushed a dryer through a wall into the family room.
Crystal Bahena was inside with her two young boys.
"This is where my kids play, so I was just glad my kids were not in here because they would have probably gotten hurt," Bahena said.
Neither Bahena nor anyone else inside the home was hurt.
Police say the driver lives a few blocks away, and had left his home a few minutes before the crash.
The driver was taken to Orange County Global Medial Center in Santa Ana.
No skid marks were found on pavement near the crash scene, and police are trying to determine whether the driver suffered a medical problem.
Fire crews shored up the garage to keep the house structurally safe.
