WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A West Allis family is counting its blessings after a car crashed straight through their living room Wednesday morning — just minutes after their child left for school.
Police say the crash happened around 8:05 a.m. near South 108th Street just south of Lincoln Avenue.
Emergency radio traffic captured the severity of the scene as crews arrived.
“We’re gonna need someone from the city since this car is completely inside the house,” one responder said over the scanner.
When officers arrived, they found a Nissan lodged deep inside the Welsh family’s living room, causing major structural damage to the nearly 100-year-old home.
Sean Welsh was upstairs working from home when he heard the crash.
“I just heard the squealing and the crash, and ran downstairs,” he said.
Sean said the family had narrowly avoided tragedy. Just minutes earlier, he had walked his son out to the bus stop for school. Before leaving, the child had been sitting in the living room playing with Legos — the exact spot where the car ultimately crashed through the house.
“It was the exact spot where he plays,” homeowner Stephanie Welsh said. “He has these cushions and he plays Legos on them in the morning, and that's exactly where the car went through. It was so close.”
Stephanie said what makes the crash even more unsettling is that the family has seen dangerous crashes near their home before.
After a vehicle struck a tree outside the home last year, she worried something similar could happen again — but never imagined a car would end up inside the house.
“I never expected it to happen this way,” she said.
Despite the destruction, no one inside the home was hurt. Stephanie also says the family’s pet turtle survived after its tank was thrown across the room during the crash.
“Tiny miracles,” she said.
According to the West Allis Police Department, the 18-year-old Milwaukee driver was taken into custody for reckless driving and cited for negligent driving. Investigators say preliminary information indicates impairment was not a factor in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
Now, the family is working with insurance companies and trying to determine where they will stay while repairs are made to the damaged home.
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