Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 1-1-16 Edition

Local
Woman Is Homeless After Truck Crashes Into Home
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Just after midnight on Christmas morning, an East Tampa woman escaped injury after a pickup truck crashed into her home. After ramming the home, the driver fled the scene.
Ms. Diana Williams
said she was lying on her sofa in the living room at the time of the crash. “At first I thought I was having a night- mare, but I quickly realized that I was not dreaming. I am very thankful that I'm still alive. This man was inches away from hitting me with his vehicle.
“I had mirrors on the walls and all of that broken glass came crashing down on me. It’s a miracle I wasn’t killed.” After the crash, the driver backed up and drove away. “My fiancé followed him to see where he went. He lives in the neighborhood, and I’ve seen that truck passing by. He lives in the neighborhood, but we don’t know him. I don’t know if he had been drinking or what. I just know that I was homeless for Christmas,” she said.
Ms. Williams said when
Ms. Diana Williams escaped injury after mirrors on wall came crashing down on her.
police arrived, they went to the home where the truck was parked, but it was on private property and they couldn’t process it.
The Tampa Police have classified the incident as a hit and run and have referred the case to detectives for addi- tional investigation.
“A pickup truck crashed into the front door of the oc- cupied residence located at 3702 E. North Bay Street, and then fled without stopping to exchange insurance informa- tion or check for injuries. The house suffered serious struc- tural damage and is not hab- itable per Tampa Fire,” a
The driver of a pickup truck that crashed into this home at 3702 E. North Bay Street early Christmas morning left the scene.
pit, a bag of clothing, and other items. They took a shelf out of the bathroom and they even took the blades off the ceiling fan and nobody saw anything. It’s ridiculous, it’s like kicking someone when they are already down.”
Physically disabled, Ms. Williams said she lives on a disability income and strug- gled to purchase the privacy fence so that her 10 grand- children would have some- where safe to play when they visit.
“Now, I’m homeless and looking for somewhere to live. The American Red Cross gave meavoucherfor2daysina hotel, but I need help because I still need somewhere to live,” she said.
Anyone wishing to help Ms. Williams can visit her online account at www.go- fundme.com/kfgh73ak.
police report stated.
The truck was described as
a 1970s or 1980s model Chevrolet. The investigation is continuing, but no arrests had been made at press time.
Ms. Williams said she has rented the home that sits on the corner of E. North Bay Street and N. 37th Street for five years. “When I contacted the landlord, he told me he didn’t have any insurance,” the mother of 5 adult children said.
Her troubles didn’t end with suddenly becoming homeless. They gathered as much of their possessions as possible before leaving the
home. However, when they returned, Ms. Williams said several items had been taken from the home.
“I had a privacy fence that I paid for and someone had gone in there and took 2 bicy- cles, 2 lawnmowers, an elec- tric blower, an outdoor fire
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