A Spring Valley family could take up to a year to rebuild their home after a car crashed into their living room last week. The accident killed his family pet and missed the owner who was sitting on the sofa at the time.
Jake and Karen Lowe have lived in their Jamacha Road home for more than 30 years. They raised their children and grandchildren there, but the sense of comfort and security it has provided all this time vanished in an instant.
“It’s the stuff you see in the movies or you see on the news about somebody else and you can never imagine it happening to you,” said Katie Aragon, the Lowes’ daughter.
Aragon was not home at the time of the accident, but his father was watching TV on the couch while his mother and sister Cassie were upstairs in their bedrooms.
“It was very scary for him and he hit the same spot that my mom usually sits and she was sitting an hour before,” Aragon said.
A white four-door Ford sedan plowed through the Lowes’ backyard fence and torpedoed their living room. It didn’t take long for their house to be red-tagged, meaning it’s not safe for people to live in until repairs are made. It took days and the help of a structural engineer to get the Lowes’ car out of the garage.
The Lowe’s were not injured and the driver of the car was not seriously injured, but the Lowe’s dog, a Maltese named Charlie, could not be saved.
“He was lying on the couch that was hit by the car. It took my family a long time to find him, they don’t even know how long,” Aragon said.
The Lowes are still living in a hotel until they find something more permanent.
“I feel so helpless. Like, what can I do for my family? They have no place to live, they lost their dog,” Aragon said.
The family was told that the necessary permits to begin repair work could take six weeks. It can take a year to get the house and family back.
“In your safe place where you’re supposed to be relaxing, enjoying your family time. They’ll never hear that again,” Aragon said. “My hope is that they can heal from this trauma, get the support they need.”
Witnesses said one of the Lowes’ own neighbors was behind the wheel. They suffered an apparent medical emergency that caused them to crash.
