CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A Champaign man has been robbed of a sense of security in his home after a car crashed into it last weekend.
Bryan Goode mentioned that this is not his first encounter with a wreck near the intersection of John and Prospect; however, this time, the crash ended up in his front yard.
“I got out of bed and I’m throwing shoes on, and I was 100% convinced it didn’t hit the house because that doesn’t happen to people,” he said.
Goode was startled by a sequence of two crashes, and the third impact shook his entire house. Curious and in disbelief, he pulled open the curtains to find a red car pressed against his residence.
Just before 8 a.m. last Saturday, Champaign Police apprehended 29-year-old Jiamante Wells related to the accident. He faces charges such as DUI and having an unlawfully altered firearm.
“You don’t expect at 7:45 in the morning anything to disturb you, when you’re within your home, and it is still uncomfortable,” Goode said.
Goode himself said the aftermath doesn’t look too severe from the outside. With a closer look, however, there’s a visible crack in the foundation, and inside, cracks along the walls show how the house shifted with the impact.
“I don’t feel safe in my house,” Goode said.
Goode’s been living in the home for about a year and a half. He knew Prospect was a busy road before he moved in, but the last few months have really opened his eyes to just how reckless drivers can be.
“I like to joke that I’m collecting hub caps because I keep finding them on my little side of the road there,” he said.
More than a week after the crash, car pieces still sit in his lawn as a reminder of all the work to be done to try and build back his home.
“The rest of my summer is now going to be consumed with getting my house fixed,” Goode said. “It’s livable, but there’s a hole in my house.”
He hopes a four-way stop or another safety measure will be put in place to prevent similar situations from happening again. If not, he has considered moving off the corner to a safer house.
In addition to DUI and possession of a defaced gun, Wells is also charged with improper passing, disobeying a stop sign, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, aggravated DUI, unlawful possession of a weapon and driving with a suspended license.
