‘Thought it was an earthquake’: 3 people escape unharmed after semi veers off road into OKC home
By Patrick Talbot
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Three people inside a northwest Oklahoma City home had a wild wake-up Monday morning when a semi plowed right into their house.
A semi-truck veered off Northwest Expressway into several backyards before crashing into the home. The crash led to evacuations due to a gas leak and sent the driver to a hospital.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department said two adults and a child were inside the house at the time of the crash but were unharmed.
Scott Douglas, public information officer for the Oklahoma City Fire Department, described the reaction of one of the residents.
“She thought it was an earthquake. She said she was in a bedroom adjacent to where the semi-truck came in, and she said, ‘I honestly knew… I had no idea what it was. I thought it was an earthquake, and then I thought it might be a plane crash,’” Douglas said.
The crash caused an active gas leak, leading first responders to evacuate nearby homes immediately.
“Any type of spark could ignite at any second, so that’s why we evacuated. We want to keep everybody at a safe distance to make sure if something does happen, if it sparks for whatever reason, this whole area can really go up in flames,” Douglas said.
While some residents left the area, others waited in their cars or under nearby shade trees.
Firefighters worked quickly to clear homes and assist the semi-truck driver, who was trapped in the vehicle.
“Our response time was very quick. Our firefighters got here, got to work, and patient care was a priority, and we wanted to get the driver out of there as soon as we could, especially with the gas lines and also the electrical panel. So, those are two things that could have went sideways very fast,” Douglas said.
The driver was eventually freed and transported to a local hospital.
Neighbors shared their thoughts on the unexpected incident.
“It’s scary. I mean, I live here, so always got to keep your eyes open on the road, whether it’s storms or whether it’s just driving down the street at 10 in the morning,” said Holmes Paschall, who lives near the scene of the crash.
Oklahoma City police are investigating what caused the driver to veer off the road and into the house.
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