Homeowner Is No Stranger to Front-Yard Crashes

A Farmers Branch homeowner said a car crash into her house is the third time a wreck has ended on her front lawn.

Call it bad luck and a little bit of bad timing: Barbara Tatum had just finished working on her computer Sunday night when a car came crashing through her wall.

"All of a sudden, there was a loud bang," she said. "I thought a bomb had gone off, because the desk jumped forward and everything was thrown on the floor. When I got out, I saw that there was a car on the patio and entering into my house."

Tatum said she considers herself lucky to be alive. She said she had just left the crash zone.

"When the computer and desk started traveling forward and jumping off the desk, that scared me," Tatum said. "I had just gotten through, closed up the computer and gone over to relax on the sofa to unwind."

Tatum had workers over Monday to patch up the hole before the cold snap hits North Texas.

But Sunday wasn't the first time random vehicles ended up on her yard and in her house.

"This is the third time we've had a motor vehicle in our yard; neighbors have had motor vehicles in their yards," Tatum said.

Tatum said a motorcyclist previously crashed his bike in her yard and another driver crashed his car into a different room in her home.

She asked the city to put speed humps in the area, but said her request was denied.

"Now I'm going to be on a campaign to get a stop sign," Tatum said.

Police said the driver apparently lost control of the car, clipped the garage of another home, struck a tree and then smashed into the Tatum's home.

Tatum said the passenger in the car apologized for the accident and told her the car was "only going 30 mph."

Farmers Branch police said the driver in Sunday's crash was issued a "failure to maintain control" citation, a Class C misdemeanor. Police said the citation means the driver was going too fast for conditions in the area and is not the same as a speeding ticket.

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