TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A terrifying nighttime crash in Troy has left a couple picking up the pieces after a Tesla plowed directly through their house.
It happened around 10:45 p.m. Troy police arrested the driver of the Tesla because officers suspect he was under the influence.
As homeowner Chad Bemb waits to see if his Troy home is salvageable, he and his girlfriend are counting their blessings. They escaped with just bumps and bruises.
Sheffield Drives ends right in front of their house, but the driver just kept going.
Bemb told 7 News Detroit, “If we were in this (front) room, we wouldn’t be here."
“From what the neighbors said, it was a high rate of speed. He came in... you can see where the bumper hit, and then it sent parts everywhere and then he continued into the house," he explained.
The force was so strong that the vehicle entered his office and then his bedroom where they lay. It then busted out the back exterior wall.
Bemb said he initially thought his hot water heater tank exploded. Then he discovered there was actually a vehicle in his home.
"Whatever wall that this car pushed forward was on top of us. So, I pushed that off, I basically pulled myself out.. There's a window over here on the side. I pushed the screen out, dove out headfirst, pulled my girlfriend out and then that's when we kind of realized that the car dialed 911 or someone in the car dialed 911," he explained.
"We've been up all night. We basically lost kind of everything," Bemb said.
"We're getting through it and just move on and figure out what insurance can do, and hopefully we'll get into something soon," he said.
Troy police say specific details like the vehicle’s speed and driving mode would have to come from Tesla’s vehicle data.
Again, investigators said the driver was arrested under suspicion of operating while intoxicated. They are awaiting blood results.
