A Durango woman was picking up her kids from school when she got a call from a firefighter friend: Hey, there’s a car in your yard. It almost hit your house.
The incident unfolded at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. A driver in a maroon Ford Explorer raced up 12th Street, past the Mason Center, before entering a residential yard at 1174 East Fourth Ave., jumping a brick landscaping wall and stopping just shy of the home itself, according to witnesses and authorities.
The driver apparently suffered a medical emergency, first responders said.
“He’s got a history of seizures,” said Durango police Sgt. Jeremiah Lee.
Authorities on scene declined to identify the driver, who refused medical treatment.
The driver was cited for careless driving and not having proof of insurance. Alcohol and drug impairment are not suspected in the incident, Lee said.
The landscaping wall slowed the Explorer, preventing it from hitting the house, said Dave Imming, spokesman for the Durango Fire Protection District.
“It could have been a lot worse,” he said.
Michael Lloyd, 18, had just finished his day at Durango Big Picture High School when he heard the crash. Thinking quickly, Lloyd went over and removed the keys from the ignition.
Avery Perryman, a neighbor who was outside talking on her phone a block away, called 911.
“It happened really quickly,” Perryman said.
The home sustained damage to the brick retaining wall and landscaping, but the modern Victorian house appeared to escape significant damage. The 3,250-square-foot home was rebuilt recently by owners Shana and Brian Zink.
“This whole house is brand new,” Shana Zink said.
A tow truck took away the Explorer as neighbors gawked.
Abbey Eldridge, who had just arrived to visit her friend, Perryman, shook her head.
“I live in Denver,” she said. “It’s not this crazy.”
cslothower@durangoherald.com
