Did I wake up this morning preparing myself to explain to my youngest child how a pickup truck drives through a house?
If you answered “not exactly” or any other response similar, you would be correct. We live in a quiet suburb where everyone knows everything about each and every person on our street. So when there was a loud monstrous crashing sound at noon today, nearly every neighbor was alerted that something was terribly wrong with the house across the street from us. My kindergartener was no exception. She peaked out of our big sitting room windows to see a pickup in my neighbor’s living room with the neighbor laying in his yard. My mother pulled her from the window and picked up the phone to call for help.
The older of the two neighbors living next to us had seen the pickup fly down the street with no driver inside. The operator was attempting to load equipment on the trailer attached to the vehicle when his pickup began to drift downhill. This neighbor who uses a walker was absolutely helpless watching this man run the length of two football fields before his vehicle plowed into the house. Within moments, the man who sitting on his couch no longer had that piece of furniture in its entirety was laying in his yard. Where the living room used to be, was a final resting place for a heavy duty work truck.
The neighbor on the other side of my house ran to the gentleman now laying in his yard. Relieved to see that the gentleman was alert and complaining of shoulder pain, the next door neighbor would later relay the events to my mom who was attempting to shield my daughter as much as possible. We live on a block that has a firehouse and the firetrucks arrived rather quickly along with police and ambulance. I can only imagine how difficult it was for my mom as this kid absolutely loves firetrucks. The next few hours would include boarding up the home and police monitoring the home until it was secure.
Nearly ten hours later, we sit waiting for an update. This gentleman who is older is an active member of our church and attends neighbor parties. We are praying for quick healing and hope that their home can be repaired. It was a moment in time, but a lasting impact for all the neighbors. As for one of the youngest residents on the street, she does not understand the brief moments that she saw, but she knows that the good people came to help.
