Fall River Firefighter Responds After Car Hits His Mom's Home

FALL RIVER (CBS) - Mary Powers would normally would be sitting on the couch watching TV in the living room of her Fall River home. On Tuesday morning, however, she was not there.

"She was out shopping, fortunately, which was very good," said Fire Lt. Bill Powers, Mary's son.

While the 82-year-old woman was gone, a car slammed into her home, taking out half of the living room.

WBZ-TV's Jim Smith reports.

Her son, Lt. Bill Powers, responded to the home with fellow firefighters.

"The first thing, I checked the driveway for my mother's car, which was gone, and I knew that the car was not being repaired or anything, so I knew that she was gone. We still went through the house with the police and double-checked anyway," said Powers.

The driver of the car suffered a leg injury, and was treated at a nearby hospital.

Witnesses said the driver was in her 30's.

"(The driver) said she couldn't stop. She was coming down the street, and she tried putting her foot on the brake and it just didn't stop, she just kept going, and then her airbag exploded," said Alexandra Bernardo, a neighbor.

The home is being fixed up by a construction crew, but Lt. Powers is just relieved his mother is OK.

"Of course you get nervous. You get nervous; you wanna get here as quickly as possible. I'm not too worried about the house. The house can be repaired," said Lt. Powers.

Mary will be staying with her son while structural engineers examine the house to make sure it's safe.