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Sandra Yi ReportingA runaway truck crashed into the side of a house today while a mother and her son were inside.
The truck was parked across the street. It crossed three lanes of traffic, jumped the curb, picked up speed again, and came to a stop in the side of the house, near 5400 S. 5600 W. No one was hurt, but the situation had the potential to be devastating.
Diane Kendall: "We heard the wind blowing and the dogs acted really weird, and I thought we were having an earthquake."
Diane Kendall wasn't prepared for what she saw next.
Diane Kendall: "MY SON COME RUNNING BACK OUT HERE AND HE SAYS, 'MOM, COME,' AND THIS IS WHAT I SAW."
A dirt truck in the side of their house.
Justin Kendall: "My TV blew up."
Diane Kendall: "I felt the whole house move. Everything moved."
Justin Kendall: "I was thinking, 'How can that happen?'"
Investigators are looking into it, but the driver told them he started the truck, put the brakes on, then went inside the convenient store to get a drink. Investigators say the brakes may have not have been set properly, or there was a malfunction, but the truck rolled.
Diane Kendall has seen bad accidents on her street before, but she didn't expect anything like this.
Diane Kendall: "I never dreamed that it would come straight from across the street and turn my house into a drive in."
Her basement took the biggest hit. Her deck and backyard need to be replaced. Still, Diane Kendall knows just how lucky she is.
Diane Kendall: "It could have been 3:00 in the afternoon when kids are getting out of school. It could have been at 5:00 in the afternoon when it was back-to-back traffic. It could have been a whole lot worse."
Take a look at all the trucks parked across the street. Salt Lake County says it was parked in a self-made parking lot. It's on West Valley City's side. County authorities say they will contact the city to discuss ways to prevent accidents like this from happening.
