A Ford F-150 pickup truck barreled through a fence and slammed into the side of an Everett-area duplex condo on 112th Street SE Friday, after its driver, a man in his 80s, temporarily lost consciousness behind the wheel. Neither the driver, his dog, nor anyone inside the home was hurt, and the homeowner said it was a miracle nobody was killed.
South Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies responded to the crash scene, where the out-of-control truck had torn through the fence before striking the structure, according to My Everett News. The homeowner, speaking with FOX 13 Seattle, said nobody being killed in the crash was a miracle. The truck was described as out of control at the time it hit the property, per the same account.
Deputies determined the elderly driver had temporarily lost consciousness while driving, which investigators say explains how the pickup ended up veering off the roadway and into the condo. The outlet's report notes that despite the severity of the impact, everyone involved, including the driver and his dog, walked away without injuries.
A Pattern of Vehicles Striking Everett Homes
Just weeks earlier, in September, a suspect driving a stolen semi-truck crashed into a house and rammed multiple cars, including several patrol vehicles, before being taken into custody. Drone footage showed the suspect trying to get away and kicking a person's fence door, according to KIRO 7.
In November 2025, an SUV crashed completely through a concrete pillar and wooden support beam of a South Everett home on 18th Avenue West, injuring the driver and striking a resident inside with debris, as reported by HeraldNet. Both victims in that crash were transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. And in September 2023, a driver crashed into the Woodbrook Apartment Homes in Everett, destroying a corner support beam and displacing residents from at least three units; a neighbor and others convinced the driver to stay until police arrived, according to MyNorthwest.
How Washington Law Treats Medical-Emergency Crashes
Cases like this one often raise questions about liability when a driver's own body, not reckless behavior, causes a crash. Under Washington civil legal precedents, drivers who lose control of a vehicle due to a sudden, unforeseeable medical emergency, such as an unexpected fainting episode, can assert the sudden emergency doctrine to avoid civil negligence liability, according to Pendergast Law. That defense requires proving the driver had no prior warning or medical restriction against driving.
Separately, Washington State law under RCW 46.52.020 requires drivers involved in accidents resulting in property damage or personal injury to remain at the scene, exchange information, and report the collision, according to the Washington State Legislature. Failing to stop can carry criminal hit-and-run penalties depending on the severity of the damage.
Vehicle-Into-Building Crashes Are a National Pattern
Everett's recent run of vehicle-into-home incidents fits into a much broader national trend. Industry research from the Storefront Safety Council indicates that motor vehicles crash into commercial and residential structures approximately 100 times per day across the United States, with more than 70% of such collisions involving impacts to exterior walls and fences, as cited by ARLnow.
Statewide, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission recorded 100,394 total motor vehicle collisions across Washington in 2025, resulting in 609 fatalities and 2,544 serious injuries, according to The Advocates. That data showed a concentration of high-severity harm even as overall crash volume declined.
Local Safety Efforts Along Busy Corridors
Snohomish County Public Works operates an active Road Safety Action Plan under Washington's Target Zero initiative, aiming to eliminate serious and fatal crashes across county-maintained roads, according to Snohomish County. The county closed public feedback on its updated Action Plan in September.
Traffic engineering evaluations published by the City of Everett in February showed that automated safety and red-light cameras installed on major arterials, including 112th Street, corresponded with lower crash numbers. Everett maintains seven active photo enforcement locations funded under local ordinance, per the city's findings. Whether any citations were issued or medical evaluations completed for the driver in this latest crash has not been reported.
