CLAY TWP. — An investigation into how a car ended up crashing into a home filled with five people in Clay Township Saturday night is still underway by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The crash happened in the 10000 block of S. Dayton Greenville Pike in Clay Twp., just south of Phillipsburg, around 9:40 p.m.
The crash ultimately caused no permanent damage, but could have been deadly.
“It is made out of materials back then that was a very thick, very hard lumber and wood and they did not skip at all. Otherwise, in a newer house the car could have probably penetrated pretty good,” Hall said.
Homeowner Michael Hall told News Center 7 how his Saturday evening was interrupted by the sound of a white Honda Accord coming down a ditch, striking a stump and then going across gravel to smash into his 100-year-old family home.
The car went into Hall’s den, just a few feet away from his family of five.
“Everybody in the family was in the room right next to it, so we were only separated by the staircase,” Hall said.
State Patrol Sergeant Brad Hess told News Center 7 that the driver of the car was at the scene when troopers arrived.
Hess said troopers arrested the driver at the scene on suspicion of OVI for alcohol, and troopers gave the driver a citation and then released him pending a court date.
In the meantime, Hall said he plans to build posts or a barricade out front to protect his house and his family from now on. He says drivers have been a problem in the area for a long time.
“Just ask that people who are on this street, even though it is a highway that is out in the country, there is still houses out here. There is still kids out here.”
Hall said that for his family, the road ahead to fix this hole will be a long one, but in the meantime, the historic structure is strong enough to keep them all housed.
Although no one was hurt, Hall said it could have turned tragic and that the den area is where he usually goes to watch baseball. He said he probably would have been there when the car crashed through if the Reds had been playing
State troopers say the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
We will continue updating this story as more information becomes available.