Husband: It’s a Miracle My Wife is Okay

By MONICA DEAN

Updated 11:16 AM PST, Wed, Jul 8, 2009

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A woman crashed into a house in Paradise Hills with her two children in the car and residents were just feet from the path of destruction.

The accident happened Tuesday night at the 5800 block of Albermarle Street. Emergency crews said when they arrived they were expecting something much worse.

The female driver crashed through the living room of Francisco Obtera's home. The vehicle then struck two other parked cars and slammed into the garage of a connecting home.

"I heard a sound like a bomb," Obtera said. He said his first concern was for his wife, "Because I knew my wife was sitting there in my living room. There was a lot of smoke. A lot of debris." Miraculously, he said, his wife got up just seconds before the crash. He found her safe in the back of the house.

After nearly missing the Obtera family the out of control SUV came to a stop just feet from where neighbors were enjoying the evening outside.

"I thought there was a bomb in my house because it sounded really loud," said 11-year-old Lucia Sanoni. She got out of the shower and ran outside to check on her family.

"When I came out my grandma was like scared and she was like bleeding on her nose with the glass," Sanoni said.
Sanoni's grandmother was nicked by flying debris.

Fire officials say when they arrived the woman behind the wheel was conscious and appeared to be okay. Her two children ages 8 and 4 were also in the vehicle. The 8-year-old boy was taken to Children's hospital as a precaution.

Maurice Luque with the San Diego Fire Dept. said the potential for disaster was incredible. "The grace of God there was no one who was seriously injured in this one which could have been tragic," he said.

Drugs and alcohol did not play a role in the crash, firefighters said. They're investigating whether the driver had a medical condition.

Damage to the property is estimated at $150,000. Residents will have to find another place to stay until the structure is repaired.