In a terrifying wake-up call for one Sunrise neighborhood, a speeding Mercedes-Benz slammed into a house early Friday, slicing through multiple interior walls and somehow missing a woman who had been in her bedroom, neighbors said. Debris from the crash, including car parts and personal items, ended up scattered across the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, and crews had to install a temporary support beam to keep the damaged home standing.
According to Local 10, the crash happened in the 6200 block of Northwest 12th Street. Investigators at the scene reportedly found no visible skid marks on the road, raising the possibility that the driver never hit the brakes before impact. Neighbor Alexis Almonte told the station the collision “sounded like a bomb” and said he ran outside to find the homeowner injured and “lucky to be alive.” Authorities have not yet released what caused the crash or whether the driver could face charges, and officials have not disclosed how badly the homeowner was hurt.
Neighbors Demand Traffic Calming
For people living nearby, the wreck was less a freak accident and more a worst-case scenario they had been dreading. Residents say speeding along Northwest 63rd Avenue has been a problem for years, and they have repeatedly asked the city for speed bumps or other traffic-calming tools before someone got seriously hurt.
The City of Sunrise outlines a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program that tells residents to contact the Engineering Section to request traffic studies or potential installations. The city notes that Broward County Traffic Engineering is responsible for maintaining most of the street signs in the area.
Not An Isolated Incident
This was not the first time a vehicle has punched a hole in a Sunrise building in recent months. On May 22, a separate crash sent a car through the front of an apartment building, and a woman was taken to the hospital, according to NBC 6. Neighbors say these kinds of collisions only strengthen their argument that the area needs tougher enforcement and faster action on traffic-calming measures before the next car ends up in someone’s living room.
What Comes Next
For now, the heavily damaged house remains propped up while investigators continue to examine the scene and decide on next steps. Neighbors say they plan to keep pressing the city to move more quickly on their long-standing requests for traffic-calming improvements, hoping to keep another speeding vehicle from turning their quiet block into a crash site.
