Car slams into Attleboro home, destroys foundation

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — A family in Attleboro is homeless after fire officials say a driver slammed into their basement, destroying the entire foundation.

Neighbors told Boston 25 that the driver had to be going at least twice the posted speed limit. His path left the curve of the road, flew through the family’s yard destroying the steps, and then hit the side of this house like a bomb.

Fire officials say they got a 911 call from witnesses on Emory Street just after 11 p.m. Friday night.

First responders say the car was buried in the basement of the house, pushing the wall in at least five feet.

"I was watching a movie and I heard a loud bang, and five minutes later my mom walks in, and the whole neighborhood was in front of my house," said Raheim Orleans, a neighbor.

Luckily, only one person who lives there was home. That woman was trapped on the top floor of the recently unstable house but wasn’t hurt. Firefighters used ladders to help her escape, while the male driver was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The Deputy Chief of Attleboro Fire says he’s never seen a vehicle hit a building quite like this.

"The car apparently spun 90 degrees in midair and struck on the entire left side of the vehicle, leaving an imprint in the side of the house," said Deputy Chief Dennis Perkins. "You can actually see the tire, the rim, on the side of the house. What's left of the side of the house."

Police have not responded to questions about what caused that driver to lose control, or if he will face charges.

"There was probably a six-to-eight-foot hole in the foundation of the wall," Deputy Chief Perkins said. "The exterior wall was pushed in probably four or five feet."

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Neighbors say the Red Cross is helping the family, who are staying with relatives in Quincy currently.

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