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MAGNA — An 18-year-old man was critically injured and a family's home will have to be torn down after a car slammed into a house early Saturday morning.
Emergency crews responded to a report of a crash 3488 S. Patrick Drive (7300 West) shortly before the 2 a.m., according to Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray.
Investigators said they believe the man was "traveling at a high rate of speed" west on 3500 South when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a house.
"He went through a neighbor's fence and then crashed into the house," Gray said. "The driver was actually partially into the house."
Unified and West Valley City fire departments worked to free the man from the wreckage. He was then transported to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition, Gray said. The crash remains under investigation.
The crash was especially startling for those inside the home at the time. Yenifer Pasaye, who lives in the home with her parents, uncle and siblings, said she was watching "How I Met Your Mother" and about to go to bed when she heard a large bang.
"It was really loud," she said, describing the crash while using her phone as a flashlight to show some of the aftermath from the crash. She was startled by the noise and thought her sisters had dropped something heavy in another section of the home. "It was quick and it was loud and I was like 'oh my gosh.' At first, I thought my sisters dropped something — a big thing."
The ceiling came partially down and bystanders rushed over to help before Pasaye could even piece together what happened. That's when she found the wreckage in her room and the injured man, who was trapped inside his car bleeding and groaning not far from her bed.
"All I could see was this car went through my room and I was like 'oh, that's not good,'" she said. "I was really lucky to not have not been in my room at that time because if not, I would have been in there with the car."
The bystanders — including friends who witnessed the crash driving on 3500 South — tried to move the car out of the house, but stopped due to concerns the house would fall down onto the car, Pasaye added. She said her uncle received some cuts and her mother received some bruises, but otherwise, the family was unhurt.
A building inspector closed off the house due to safety concerns. Red Cross assisted the family overnight, Gray said. Pasaye said her family was told the home will have to be torn down and rebuilt.
Pasaye said her family is still rattled by the crash. They were staying at a motel to get some rest after a whirlwind night.
There's also the whirlwind of emotions as they contemplate what's next. Pasaye is angry that reckless driving may have factored in the crash. She says people speed down 3500 South often. She's also hopeful the driver will recover.
In addition, she's saddened thinking the home her family has lived in for the past six years will be demolished. It's the place where she remembers parties, leaving the home for high school for the first time and celebrating her graduation. Those are memories taken in the crash.
That said, Pasaye is relieved her family will be OK. She says her family will rebuild the home or move elsewhere.
"My family is more important to me than anything else," she said. "Materialistic things, you can obviously replace but not family."
Contributing: Alexis Pineiro, KSL; Sean Moody, KSL TV
