GOWEN CITY - Two people fled their home Friday morning when a car slammed into a foundation wall, bursting into flames that spread to the structure.
The accident occurred around 5 a.m. at 6586 Upper Road, just east of here in East Cameron Township. The force of the impact punched a gapping hole just feet from where Jason Pull, 27, and his wife, Rosanna, lie in bed. Minutes later, the room where they had been sleeping was engulfed in flames.
"I heard a bang, but thought it was my extension ladder falling off the roof. Then I heard a car horn," Jason Pull said. "I looked outside and thought, 'Oh my God, there is a car in the side of the house.'"
Pull went outside to find the driver, Marc Albertini, 25, of Paxinos, on the grass near the front porch. Pull said Albertini was alert and complaining of hand and back pain. Pull called 911 and told a dispatcher the twisted vehicle, a 1999 Dodge Neon, was on fire. When questioned whether the house was involved, he told a dispatcher in a hurried tone, "Not yet." Additional fire apparatus were then dispatched because of the escalating situation.
'It was cooking'
According to state police at Stonington, Albertini was operating the Neon westbound when the accident occurred. The vehicle left its lane of travel and entered the oncoming lane before impacting a tree on the passenger side. After the initial impact, the vehicle spun clockwise and came to a stop against the residence. Police said Albertini was wearing a seat belt.
"It was cooking," said East Cameron Assistant Fire Chief George Kerstetter, who had command of the scene. "We upgraded (units) because of limited water and for additional manpower."
Initially, the full complement of 1,000 and 3,000 gallons of water from two East Cameron water tankers that had arrived first were used to battle the flames of the car and home. Kerstetter said only a few minutes passed before additional units from throughout the area arrived with more water.
Firefighters battled the fire from the interior of the structure and also cut a hole in the roof for ventilation. Within 30 minutes, the unrecognizable car was seen smoldering next to the home, which still had pockets of flames visible.
'Had a feeling'
Pull, who has lived in the home for almost four years, said a curve in the road nearby has caused several previous near misses. Before Friday morning's devastating accident, the end of the driveway was the closest a vehicle has ever come to hitting the house.
"I had a feeling it would happen if something went fast enough," Pull said. "Oh, it hit the home. There's a bumper in my house."
Albertini was taken to Shamokin Area Community Hospital at approximately 5:30 a.m. complaining of back pain following the accident, said a hospital representative.
He was treated and released at 10:20 a.m.