- A mail truck crashed into two Sandy homes, damaging property but causing no injuries.
- The driver was not in the vehicle, which rolled downhill, hitting a house.
- The Postal Service confirmed the incident, emphasizing safety and reviewing details; no mail was affected.
SANDY — Some Sandy residents were startled this afternoon when a mail truck crashed into their houses on Colima Drive.
A homeowner said the driver wasn't behind the wheel when it happened.
When Robert Jenson got home from the barber, he said he saw police cars, fire engines and a mail truck in his driveway. He had no idea what had happened.
"My first thought was, 'Why is the postal truck there in my driveway? They must be delivering some large thing that they need,' but my wife came running out and told me what the whole deal was,' Jenson said.
Jenson's wife and grandchildren were home when they heard a loud crash, thinking something had fallen over in the garage.
It was actually a mail truck that rolled into the front of their house, knocking down bricks and damaging the garage door.
"Glass and bricks and whatever could have hit them, so we're very grateful that it hit the wall and that's all the damage that there is," Jenson said.
He said they think the mail carrier left the truck further up the street, which is on a hill, and forgot to put it in park. It rolled downhill, taking out a mailbox and a flower pot at a house across the street. Then it scuffed the front of the house before plunging forward into the Jenson's home.
Fortunately, they weren't harmed.
"I think he must have jumped into the vehicle to put it in park to prevent it from rolling back down the hill, and then it could have gone further down the hill, then damage another house," Jenson said.
In an email, a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service said, "I can confirm that a (Postal Service) vehicle was involved in the incident, and I'm relieved to share that our driver did not sustain any injuries. There was no impact to mail or packages. Employee safety remains a top priority for the Postal Service, and we are reviewing the details surrounding the incident."
Jenson said the mail carrier was apologetic.
"He was really torn up," he said. "He told us he'd driven for 27 years and never had one accident. So he shed a few tears over it, but it could have happened to anyone at any time. Just a freak accident."
Sandy city officials were on scene talking to the impacted homeowners. The city employee said they come out to assess any damage done to homes in situations like this one. The employee said, fortunately, both of these homes are secure and safe enough to live in.
