A Durham woman and her husband are forced to rebuild their home after a car crashed into it Thursday evening.
“I’ve probably gone through accidents, hitting my fence, hitting my house, at least 15 to 20 times,” said Jacqueline Smith.
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For Smith, picking up the pieces of her life has become a feeling she knows all too well.
Officers were called to her home just before 10 p.m. on Thursday on University Drive. WRAL's Breaking News Tracker was on scene shortly after the scene broke out, and captured video of the car being removed from the home.
“It definitely feels like déjà vu, like which side are they going to rip off next?” Smith said.
Since moving into her University Drive home in 2006, she said she’s quickly watched this intersection become the center of commotion. She and other residents say a yield sign, an 8-way intersection, confusing traffic lights and reckless driving are to blame.
“It’s far too often things are occurring,” she added.
Smith’s husband, Victor Cohen, recalls that he and their dogs were just feet from the impact.
“He severed the gas line,” Cohen said. “We got structural damage here, the windows smashed. There’s structural damage throughout. The gutter ruined, the roof, we got flooring, electrical… the list goes on and on.”
He told WRAL the driver of the car fled from the scene, but he tracked him down and kept him pinned down on the ground until police arrived.
Beyond the structural damage, Smith said many of her personal projects, such as her garden and handmade bench, were lost as well.
“It hurts,” Smith said. “This is something that brings me peace and joy. We can bring beauty to our little section of University Drive, and seeing it just ripped apart like that, it's heartbreaking.”
The couple said they hope for changes to the intersection, which now sits separated by a temporary fence.
“You can’t get peace when you’re sleeping because you’re scared of what’s just happened subconsciously,” Smith said. “It’s awful.”
They want to see the City install precautions, like traffic cameras, guard rails, or speed bumps and a different traffic pattern- like a roundabout.
WRAL News is working to determine how many crashes have occurred at this intersection over the last decade and is working to learn if any arrests have been made in Thursday’s crash.