There was a string of miracles today when an older, handicapped driver backing out of the driveway of his Clinton Street home lost control of 2010 Toyota sedan and slammed into his neighbor's home.
Somehow, he avoided hitting his own fence. The car shot through a stand of trees and into the gap between two trees that was no wider than his car. Nobody, including the driver was injured. And while his neighbor's house was badly damaged, it wasn't knocked off its foundation and should be repairable.
"As you can see it's a pretty tight fit," said Officer Frank Klimjack. "It's amazing that he didn't hit a tree or his own fence or anything like that and he came down here and hit the house. Fortunately, nobody's hurt and we can fix the house and fix the car and we should be all set."
Skid marks in the lawn indicate the man's car became airborne just before it hit the garage.
The man, who doesn't have full use of his right leg, said the normal right-side gas pedal in his car is blocked and he has a gas peddle on the left side of his brake. Somehow, he missed the brake peddle and stepped on the gas. The car accelerated so fast he had no time to react.
He said all he was thinking about was how to stop apply the brake and stop the car. He didn't even see where he was going.
The man was trapped in the car and city fire responded to assist him. He waited in the vehicle until a family member showed up with his motorized wheelchair.
The garage needed to be stabilized before the car could be moved.
What's the deal with the gas
What's the deal with the gas pedal?