Chaos ensued in a quiet Lebanon neighborhood late Tuesday night when a tow truck, reportedly hauling a car, struck another vehicle before ultimately crashing into a residential building on Warren Street. The accident, which occurred around 11:30 p.m., prompted the closure of Warren Street between East and Cherry Streets while emergency crews worked to clear the scene and assess the damage done to the structures involved. One tenant, present in the street-level apartment of the impacted home, narrowly avoided disaster.
The narrow escape came as Tracey Shonkwiler, the resident at the center of the ordeal, had been lying in bed when the crash propelled the tow truck into her living space. In what could only be described as a heart-stopping moment, she recounted to WLWT, "I was in a bed in the room where the truck ended up." Her quick reaction to unsettling noises likely saved her life, as she told FOX19, "If I hadn't gotten up, I would've been underneath the vehicle, and I wouldn't be talking to you right now."
Adjacent properties weren't spared either, as a brick building next door sustained significant damage, its photos disseminated across local media outlets showing a collapsed porch awning and structural injuries inflicted on the home. Nick Davis, an occupant of the neighboring edifice, was jolted awake by the impact, which he initially thought had resulted in fatalities. He later expressed his relief to WCPO, commenting, "It's a miracle everybody's alright."
Despite the accident resulting in minor injuries to one individual, the broader community can be seen to have narrowly dodged a far more tragic outcome. The Red Cross was quick to arrive on the scene, providing assistance to those displaced by the crash. Tracey Shonkwiler, reflecting on the transience of material possessions compared to human life, told WCPO, "You can't fix dead, but you can fix the buildings." This poignant reminder of the frailty of our constructed safe havens serves as a silver lining in the midst of turmoil, with affected residents grateful to walk away unharmed and with a story of survival.
