(Trail Creek, IN) - A driver was allegedly impaired when his van crashed into a house in Trail Creek.
Zachary Lane, 30, has been charged in LaPorte Superior Court 4 with Level 6 felony Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated and Class A misdemeanor Driving on a Suspended License.
On Wednesday at about 6 p.m., police explained that Lane was traveling on Yanke Road when he ran a stop sign where the street dead ends with Welnetz Road. He then continued straight into a yard before crashing into the foundation of a quad-level home at 1927 Welnetz Road.
The front end of his 2009 Volkswagen Routan was more than halfway into the family room of the residence, bricks from the foundation scattered all over the floor among other damage.
Diane Carter, 75, said she was sitting in a loveseat located where the impact was made about ten minutes prior to the crash. She allegedly got up to check her mail and was at the mailbox when she witnessed the collision.
“I would have been dead had I been there. So, that probably was the hardest thing for me to deal with because just that knowledge you know,” she said.
Lane, who suffered just a minor cut to his head, told police he couldn’t stop the vehicle. He reportedly offered no reason but did say he was driving over the speed limit.
His alleged blood alcohol level was .09 percent.
The misdemeanor offense was upgraded to a felony because Lane had a prior OWI conviction, authorities said.
According to police, Lane was living with his grandfather, who happens to be a neighbor of the victims.
Initially, Carter said, she was shaken up if not hysterical about the collision, but has since calmed down. She noted that she and her husband, Bill, who was upstairs at the time were not injured. The driver’s injuries were just minor and the damage is going to be covered by her insurance policy.
“I feel very grateful that everything is ok and all of this stuff is replaceable and fixable,” she said.
Carter, who has lived there for about 35 years, said there appeared to be no effort by the driver to slow down while she was witnessing the crash and later watching it on video.
“I’m not angry with him. I just hope he gets the help he needs,” she said.
