Car slams into Raleigh home

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A matter of minutes made all the difference when an SUV crashed into a Raleigh home on Wednesday afternoon.

"I just thank God," said Katanta Hamidou, who has lived in the home on Hanska Way in East Raleigh for 16 years.

He works overnights and said he was upstairs sleeping when he heard a loud noise. He said he woke up and ran to the top of the stairs.

"I look over from the top and I see a car is inside," said Hamidou. "I started asking what happened. We couldn't figure out what happened exactly until I came outside the house and we see a lady inside stuck."

Hamidou's son pulled the woman out of the SUV and they called for help. When they looked around they could see that the SUV, towing a trailer, plowed through several mailboxes, crashed into the side of their garage, through their entry way, and near the dining area.

Hamidou said it crashed through the same area his small children, ages two and ten, were playing, just minutes before the crash.

"But thank God they just moved, went upstairs, that's when it happened."

A total of eight family members were inside the home. No one was hurt, including the dog those involved said set all of this into motion.

Felix Dean said it started when his wife came to pick him up from their home just up the street.

"My wife came to get me. I went to get in the car, my Siberian husky jumped in her lap and the car took off," said Dean.

Dean is in a wheelchair and said he followed as fast as he could.

"I was a wreck," said Dean, "I was trying to follow her to see if she was okay, to see if the dog was okay, I didn't care about the car."

Once he saw they were okay, he said he was thankful no one in the home was hurt. Dean said amid all the emotions, they also know how the family is feeling.

"About two years ago a teenager was using my driveway to make a U-turn, I guess, and slammed into the house."

They chose to rebuild and hope their neighbors do the same. Hamidou said his insurance agency told him an adjuster would be out to view the home on Thursday.

The house is boarded up and secure, but not fit to live in. For now, the American Red Cross is helping the family with shelter.

"I don't feel any loss, as far as everybody is fine, I just thank God really," said Hamidou.