Car Slams Into House; Driver Severely Injured

CAR SLAMS INTO HOUSE; DRIVER SEVERELY INJURED
Police: Car went 77 feet off Huss Street near Arney Street.

The male driver of a Geo Metro is taken by ambulance to the hospital
after leaving Huss Street near Arney Street Thursday afternoon.
Photo by The Carolina Scoop's Adam Diaz

By Jon Mayhew

BOGER CITY -- Lincolnton Police said a driver went nearly 80 feet off of Huss Street without slowing down, striking a vacant house just before 2 p.m. Thursday.

Lincolnton police, investigating the incident, said the unidentified male driver left the road in the curve just after Arney Street, sideswiping the tree and striking the unoccupied house's front porch. There were no signs of skid marks.

The house, at 202 Arney Street, was being remodeled by the landlord at the time of the accident.

Neighbor Debi Fletcher said she was sitting at her computer at the time of the crash.

"It sounded like an explosion," she said.

The driver had to be extricated from the vehicle and taken by ground to Carolinas Medical Center - Lincoln. Authorities wanted to airlift the man to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte but due to the possibility of bad weather, Med Center Air wasn't flying.

One lane of Huss Street was blocked as authorities worked the accident.
Photo by The Carolina Scoop's Adam Diaz

Firefighters had to use the Hearst Tool, aka Jaws of Life, to cut into the vehicle to get the victim out.

Huss Street was blocked by emergency vehicles for about an hour, while authorities investigated the accident and cleaned up the scene.

City housing inspectors looked over the structure and determined the house itself wasn't damaged.

"The house isn't hurt at all," said one inspector.

While authorities couldn't say how fast the driver was going, they believe speed may be a factor in the crash due to a lack of skid marks.

As neighbors looked on, authorities looked over the damaged car, where the windshield was completely shattered and the dashboard cracked.

As of late Thursday night, authorities were still investigating the accident.