A driver and two passengers suffered major injuries Monday when their vehicle crashed into a house in Lakeside.
The crash happened at about 3:05 a.m. Monday when a 39-year-old man from El Cajon was driving a 2011 Buick Enclave southbound on Winter Gardens Boulevard, south of Sterling Hill Lane, according to CHP Officer Jared Grieshaber. The driver was carrying two passengers, a 37-year-old man and a 41-year-old man, both from El Cajon, Grieshaber said.
"While driving southbound, the driver was unable to maintain control of the Buick and made an unsafe turning movement, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway," Grieshaber said. The Buick overturned and crashed into a house in the 9000 block of Winter Gardens Boulevard.
The driver and passengers of the Buick sustained major injuries and were taken by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital, according to Grieshaber.
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Alcohol was suspected as a factor in the crash, Grieshaber said.
“When I woke up I thought it was an earthquake," said victim Leslie Ortega.
Leslie Ortega wished only to be identified by name. She says her family was fast asleep when the Buick Enclave rolled into the newly remodeled patio and came to rest after hitting the living room wall. A doorbell camera captured the moment.
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“I am still in shock. Like we haven’t slept. We were all up from the moment it happened," Ortega said.
At the turn where the crash happened there are no guardrails. The homes are several feet below the road. The speed limit is 45 miles per hour but traffic is much faster.
“I’ve lived here 35 years. I’ve seen two other accidents like this," said neighbor Caryn Parr.
Even before the accident, Ortega told NBC 7 she was creating a petition for all her neighbors to sign asking the city to make their street safer.
