Woman startled when car crashes into house

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

It was a nightmare to be sure, but it didn't go away when Van Bibber Lake resident Lassie Potts was startled from sleep early Sunday morning.

In the darkness of her bedroom, she knew something was wrong.

It wasn't until she climbed out of bed and turned on the light that she saw the car that had crashed through the wall of her bedroom, surrounding her bed with debris.

"It was just a big bang," the 82-year-old Potts said to describe what she heard in her room at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Hearing voices through the crack in her bedroom wall, Potts threw open the front door of her home and made her way to the backyard. There she found the car, an older model Pontiac, wedged halfway into the side of her house.

Potts' home is located at the end of a "T" intersection and from all appearances, the driver did not see the house before striking it at full speed.

When Potts arrived at the back of her home, her neighbors had gathered around the car along with the driver, 23-year-old Andrew Jason Pollock of Indianapolis. He and his female passenger who were not seriously injured.

Pollock was, however, arrested and booked into the Putnam County Jail for drunken driving. He was released later in the day after posting a cash bond.

Police believe Pollock and the female passenger were arguing and he became angry, driving too fast and failing to see the house.

Potts told the BannerGraphic Monday that the man has since returned to the accident scene and apologized.

Meanwhile, Potts is waiting to hear from her insurance company to see how much damage was done.

Two walls in her bedroom were forced inward by the accident and furniture and other items were strewn across the floor as if the home had been ransacked. Potts enjoys sewing in her spare time and was upset that her two sewing machines were propeled across the room and landed upside down.

She was, however, grateful that the car didn't strike closer to the foot of her bed where a large, antique dresser stands.

"It that had fallen on me, it could have been a disaster," Potts said. "My son-in-law just kept telling me, 'You know mom it could have been a lot worse.'"

Potts was pretty shaken up and spent the night with her daughter across the street. She has since returned home to pick up the pieces and hopes the damage can be repaired soon.

She has lived in the lake community in western Putnam County for about four years but said she has never witnessed this much excitement in one night.

"I've seen this happen on TV before, but I never thought it would happen to me," Potts said. "I think I was more devastated about the room than the car. I just couldn't believe it could happen to me."

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