Relatives of a Mesquite resident are seeking assistance from community members after a truck plowed into the family’s home, causing extensive damage.
Mary Mitchell, who shares her home with her two adult daughters and their grandchildren, said she was praying when a truck crashed into the home last week.
Surveillance footage from a nearby residence shows that two trucks collided at the intersection next to the home, causing one truck to strike a utility pole and sending the other careening into the house, reported WFAA.
The truck barely missed Mitchell’s daughters, who were inside the home at the time of the crash.
Mitchell explained that the incident was just the latest in a series of unfortunate events that have befallen the family. She said that her husband of 53 years recently died, and she also recently lost her Medicaid coverage even though she suffers from several medical issues. She said the family could not afford insurance on the home, so they have no funds for the needed repairs.
“It took us 22 years to pay for this house,” said Mitchell, per WFAA. “There is no way, no hope. I have no one.”
Mitchell said the family has witnessed other accidents at the intersection outside their home, and she said her family lives in fear that a similar accident could occur again at any time.
“We’re petrified,” said Mitchell, per WFAA. “We’re literally petrified that it’s going to happen again.”
She said the family has been traumatized by the recent crash, but they have nowhere else to go.
Mitchell hopes the City of Mesquite will consider installing a barrier to protect her home from what she believes is a dangerous intersection.
“We are studying this accident to determine if any safety improvements can be made to make the intersection safer,” a city spokesperson told WFAA. “We need to see what caused this to happen and how the vehicle ended up hitting the house. We will consider all options to prevent cars from hitting the house in the future.”
Dina Mitchell, one of Mary’s great-granddaughters, has set up a GoFundMe page asking the local community for donations to support the family, explaining that while everyone survived, they were “traumatized” by the experience.
“[W]e live in fear each day, it will happen again. I just want to help her out, I’m just worried about my grandmother, not getting another stroke and no house insurance,” reads the post.
City of Mesquite officials determined that the cause of the accident was “speed and driver inattention.” The identities of the drivers involved in the crash and their condition are currently unknown.
The GoFundMe to support the family has currently reached $23,115 of its $100,000 goal.
