UPDATED, April 23: An East Arlington home that was for sale and due to have its first showing to potential buyers was hit by a car, Saturday morning, April 21, and the driver has received a citation.
A Channel 7 video with the brief summary shows the car being removed from the home’s front porch.
The driver told police that she was backing out of the Amherst Street driveway and lost control of the vehicle. She said she thought the gas pedal was stuck and continued to accelerate until coming to rest on the front porch, a police report said.
The time of the crash was a challenge for the homeowner, Brian Casey, Channel 7 reported. The home, which is for sale, had its first showing Saturday.
The station quoted a home owner as saying: “The showing is still going on, the show must go on.”
A police report said the incident occurred about 7:43 a.m. On arrival, an officer saw the vehicle parked and resting on the front porch. The operator of the vehicle was on the sidewalk undergoing evaluation by Fire Department personnel.
The operator said she had a cell phone in her possession, but it was not powered on at the time of the crash.
Police inspected the phone, and an officer reported he saw no text messages or incoming or outgoing calls at the time of the crash.
The officer looked inside the vehicle for other possible distractions that would contribute to the crash but did not locate any. The driver said she was fine and signed a patient refusal.
Police spoke with a home owner, who said she did not see the crash but heard a loud bang and saw the vehicle resting on the front porch.
MAL’s Towing removed the vehicle from the porch and drove it back to the operator’s driveway per request.
Because the vehicle came in contact with the residence, building inspector Mike Ciampa was called and deemed the structural integrity of the residence safe.
Based on the investigation at the scene, the driver was issued a citation for failure to use caution while reversing.
The police report redacted the name of the person receiving the citation and the specific home address.
This news brief was published Sunday, April 22, 2018, and updated April 24, with a police report.
