A doorbell camera has captured the moment a motorist’s car literally flew into an occupied house as it sped down a residential street – killing the driver instantly and narrowly missing a three-year-old child.
The fatal crash happened Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, and left a literal hole in the occupied home on Kingston Drive.
Veronica Schwetl said her three-year-old nephew was in a bed near that wall when the car hit the house at an alarming speed of 100 mph, pushing even the bed with the child several feet, NBC 4 reported.
Schwettl, who rents the home, said three other people were inside at the time and her nephew was unharmed.
The driver, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said a preliminary investigation showed the car was being driven at a high speed – exceeding the 40mph speed limit on the road.
Veronica Schwettl said her three-year-old nephew was in a bed near that wall when the car slammed into the house at breakneck speed, knocking over the bed with the child in it.
Also inside was tenant Derek Wentzel, who said the car – which can be seen airborne for a few seconds in the footage – missed the child by inches. He is now not allowed back inside the boarded up home
Terrifying footage from the scene suggests the car was going at least 100mph – before plowing into an SUV parked in front of the house and the residence.
Those who were inside the home are now speaking out about the shocking ordeal, including Derek Wentzel, 37, who rented the home with Schwettle.
Speaking to KSDK, he said the vehicle – which can be seen airborne for a few seconds in the footage – missed the child by inches.
‘Yeah, he totally could have been hurt,’ Wentzel said, adding that the child’s parents also visited the home. ‘Missed him by inches.’
He added that officers who visited the house told him it was likely a ‘total loss’ and beyond repair.
‘They said we might not be able to get into our house at all. It could be a total loss,’ he said.
His mother, Diane Wentzel, described how she drove the five miles to her son’s home after hearing about the crash and quickly realized what had happened after seeing the damage.
He also suggested that the now-deceased driver, who was a woman, was suspected by the police to be suffering from a medical condition.
Terrifying footage from the scene suggests the car was going at least 100mph – before plowing into an SUV parked in front of the house and the residence.
A doorbell camera captured the moment a motorist’s car flew into an occupied home – killing the driver instantly and narrowly missing the three-year-old.
. Police said initial investigations revealed the car was being driven at high speed – exceeding the 40mph speed limit on the road.
Those inside the house are now speaking about the harrowing ordeal, with one man commenting, ‘This only happens in movies’.
‘It only happens in movies,’ he said, explaining how he was saddened to hear of the driver’s death.
‘I just hope she didn’t know what was going on either.’
With the house now boarded up, the family said they are now trying to pick up the literal pieces left behind by the disaster and hope to return to some semblance of normality soon.
Cops, who are currently in the painstaking process of reconstructing the scene, said the crash happened just before 2:30pm and the car was traveling north on Kingston Drive towards Telegraph Road at ‘a very high rate of speed’.
At one point, police said, the car went off the road, hit an embankment and became airborne.
The footage shows the end of that sequence, and how the car – a maroon sedan – was suspended several feet in mid-air before the moment of impact.
The crash happened just before 2:30 p.m. Police said the car was traveling north of Kingston on Telegraph when it veered off the road.
Witnesses suggested that the driver, who police suspect was a woman, though her gender remains to be confirmed
The wall the car hit was completely destroyed on Tuesday afternoon, before being lifted later that night
With the house now boarded up, the family said they are now trying to pick up the literal pieces left behind by the disaster and hope to return to some semblance of normalcy soon.
As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, police had not yet released the driver’s identity or confirmed their gender, but told DailyMail.com on Wednesday their investigation was still ongoing.
‘We have no updates at this time,’ a representative wrote in a statement, adding that no release has yet been sent out regarding the deceased.
Meanwhile, a condemned sign hangs at a Savage St. Louis residence and at least two people are outside a home.
Police are asking for information on the incident to contact investigators.