SUV Crashes Into Vacant House For Sale

PLAINVILLE (CBS) - Lynne Swanson hadn't even had her morning coffee when she heard this "terrible noise."

The noise was a Jeep Cherokee slamming through the front of Swanson's childhood home, which is for sale.

"The whole thing started at the pole up there... came through across that front lawn, hit the birch tree, came through this front lawn, became airborne and went into the house," she told WBZ-TV on Friday.

The SUV landed on top of their gas meter, which had to be shut off. A utility pole was cut in half and police closed down the road on busy Route 106.

A driver suffered minor injuries when she crashed her SUV into the house. Swanson said the driver was alert and able to communicate after the crash.

"I was just glad the woman driver was ok when they took her out she was sitting on top of the stretcher alert, so that's a blessing," Swanson said.

The house, which is over 100 years old, belonged to Swanson's mother. She and her husband live in the house behind it.

The house is vacant because it is for sale.

"In fact, we had four showings scheduled this afternoon, which of course had been cancelled," Swanson said.

One potential buyer didn't get notified. He showed up with the listing in hand.

Swanson, in trying to maintain her sense of humor, said the incident gives new meaning to "Open House."

"It's a 100-year-old house. Some might say, 'Well, if the potential buyer was going to knock it down anyway,' we started it for him," she said.

Nobody was in the house on East Bacon Street when the crash occurred Friday morning.

Traffic on East Bacon Street was detoured for hours while utility crews worked on a damaged pole, downed wires and gas lines.