KISSIMMEE, Fla. – New video shows moments before a speeding SUV crashed into a Kissimmee home and caught fire.
The crash happened on Camino Real Drive around 6:10 p.m. on Thursday. Florida troopers said the driver suffered a medical episode before the SUV slammed into the home.
“These people are extremely lucky to not have been impacted by the vehicle,” Florida Highway Patrol assistant public affairs officer Migdalisis García said. “It’s not a very common crash but it does happen.”
Ring video from a nearby home shows the SUV speeding down the sidewalk and hitting a mailbox and nearly hitting a vehicle near it.
“I thought it was gonna hit me right head-to-head,” said José Soto, whose car was damaged.
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Video shows a law enforcement vehicle arriving shortly after.
According to a crash report, the SUV struck the front of the house and went into the living room, catching fire.
“I was laying down on my bed, all I heard was, it sounded like a sonic explosion,” said Isaac Rivera, the homeowner. “I jumped up, I opened my door, but before I opened my door, I looked to my right and in my closet I just seen my whole closet fall down. The top, it just literally collapsed.”
He said he went downstairs, where he heard his family screaming and then saw the car sitting there, surrounded by smoke.
There were eight people inside the home, but they were not injured, troopers said. While the family was able to rescue their dogs, they said a pet bird named Molly died.
“We’re just really glad that, you know, our whole family is safe,” Rivera added. “Normally, my 5-year-old daughter, (who) is turning 6 tomorrow, and our younger sister, they play right in front of that window every single day. They’re either laying down on the couches on the phones or iPads or just playing literally in front of that window. If this happened an hour or at least 30 minutes sooner, this whole story would’ve been pretty different. It’s pretty terrifying.”
Yvon Nicols, a neighbor who saw the impact and called 911 after it happened, agreed “it was a miracle that nobody else got hurt” as typically the area is busy with joggers and children.
“It’s just really scary,” Rivera said. “I could’ve woke up to not having a daughter anymore. For me, that’s really the most terrifying part of all this. All this is materialistic things, you know, we’re gonna get it back.”
The driver of the SUV — a 38-year-old Kissimmee man — was taken to the hospital.
“We are praying for him, been praying for him since yesterday,” Rivera said.
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