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Car Crashes Through Haverhill Home For The Fifth Time

HAVERHILL (CBS) - If lightning doesn't strike twice, Haverhill homeowner Jim Curtis has a hard time believing it. He was sitting at the computer in his Amesbury Street home when an SUV plowed through the front wall landing in the living room.

"When I heard the squealing tires, I got up and the car came through right in front of me," said Curtis.

But since his family first owned the house in 1954, it's happened at least five times. Another car came through the same wall fifteen years ago, and nearly every side of the house has been hit. In this case, police say a teenage driver was making a left turn at a busy intersection in front of the house when he lost control.

WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports

"He wanted to make sure I was OK and then said he never wanted to drive again," says Curtis. The living room is now strewn with debris from couch to chair to splintered wood, and a television that was in front of the wall is likely damaged. Fortunately the main beams on the antique home were not hit.

Curtis says the house sits at an intersection where cars accelerate and round the corner too fast, often squealing as they go. "They just push the gas all the way down and take off," he said.

While he acknowledges his unlucky location, he has a solution and would like to petition the state to put a guardrail in front of his home. "I'm feeling a little nervous standing right here," he said.

Police say the driver has been cited for the accident, and while Curtis is frustrated, he's more inconvenienced with the repairs that will have to be made.

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