ROLLING PRAIRIE — A quiet night at home became a harrowing experience for a local couple.
Brenda Depoy, 65, said she was smoking a cigarette inside her attached garage in the 5100 block of North 600 East.
Her husband, 67-year-old David Depoy, was lying on the couch inside the house.
Their relaxation ended about 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 when a vehicle slammed into two pickup trucks parked outside then crashed through the garage door and hit a third truck parked inside, her 2017 Dodge Ram.
Fortunately, Brenda Depoy was standing off to the side and was narrowly missed by the crash.
“I began screaming for my husband,” she said. “It’s a mess.”
David Depoy didn’t hear the vehicle approaching, but the sounds of the crash quickly grabbed his attention.
He found numerous bricks from the garage’s exterior strewn about inside and outside the structure.
Some of the exterior bricks from the house itself were also knocked loose, he said.
One of the outside walls of the garage was bowed, forcing him to use plywood to close gaps in the structure, he said.
The dust from the crashes hadn’t settled yet when, Depoy said, he began asking himself, “Why me? You know what I mean?”
The 32-year-old driver who crashed into their home has been charged with a misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated, and LaPorte County police say his blood alcohol level tested at 0.19%, more than double the 0.08% legal limit.
He allegedly told police he was talking to his girlfriend in the passenger seat when he lost control and couldn’t avoid the crash.
He’s also accused of failing to provide proof of insurance.
That last part presents a problem for the Depoys.
David Depoy said he’s already been in touch with his insurance company about paying for all of the repairs.
He believes one or two of the vehicles will be ruled a total loss.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Rolling Prairie woman just missed when auto crashes through her garage
Reporting by Stan Maddux, Special to The Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
