Three Poteau residents were taken to hospitals in Fort Smith after a vehicle went crashing through their home Tuesday. Neighbors say one of the people injured was a child in a wheel chair.
Police say their injuries are non-life threatening. Officers were called to the Poteau Valley Apartments at 103 Windham just around 12:45 p.m.
“All of the sudden our whole house ricocheted,” said Darla Grim, a neighbor. “I heard a big loud noise, didn’t know what it was.”
“I heard screams, so I went over there and there was a car inside the living room,” said Carl Bain, a neighbor.
Police believe the driver accidentally hit the gas instead of the break. “She thought she put it on break and she ‘exhilarated’ and it went through the house,” said Grim. “She’s crying saying she don’t want to live no more.”
Poteau police tested the driver’s blood, but told 5NEWS they do not believe she was intoxicated.
Bain says he helped carry one of the children out of the apartment. “I was freaked out,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Others sift through the damage and offer what help they can. “I let Angela and them know that I have two spare room right now if they need somewhere to go,” said Grim.
Police issued the driver a citation for operating a vehicle in a manner not reasonable or proper.