Car Crashes Into House in Heartville

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Published on January 2 2018 11:03 am
Last Updated on January 2 2018 5:04 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

A car ran into a house in Heartville early Sunday morning.

Watson firefighters were dispatched to the scene in the 9100 block of North US Highway 45 just before 2am. While enroute, the fire crew learned that the driver was still inside the vehicle, possibly trapped by debris from the impact.

The driver of the car, 30-year-old Riley Douthit of Effingham, was not injured in the incident. 

The first arriving fire company reported a partial collapse on the front side of the first floor of the residence. The vehicle had traveled through the living room area of the residence and exited onto an elevated deck over a walk-out basement area, causing the deck to collapse under the weight of the vehicle. Following the collapse of the deck, Douthit's car struck an unoccupied car parked in the driveway of the home.

The house is occupied by Nathan Reuter and Tawnia Monnet, as well as children. All occupants of the residence were accounted for. None of them were injured.

Once the stability of the vehicle and the collapsed deck were established, debris was removed from around the vehicle and Douthit exited the vehicle under his own power. Abbott EMS was on scene, but Douthit refused medical treatment.

Effingham County Sheriff's Department reports Douthit was headed southbound on Route 45 when the car swerved into the northbound lane and into the yard at 9122 North US Highway 45. The car struck a guy wire attached to a telephone pole and proceeded to strike the southwest corner of the house.

Deputies cited Douthit for DUI, operating an uninsured vehicle, failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash, illegal transportation of liquor, and improper lane usage.