A 1999 Chevrolet Suburban crashed into a house on Jefferson Street, shaking the home of Bertha White-Harris and her disabled husband.
The incident occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Jan. 30, according to Harris and official reports.
“We were in the house when we heard a loud crash, and the whole house shifted,” Harris said. “I called 911 right away.”
Harris said her call was first routed to the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department, which then connected her to the Indianola Police Department. Firefighters from Fire Station No. 2 and police officers responded, finding the Suburban against the south side of the house and a gas meter knocked off the residence, according to a fire incident report.
Before officers arrived, a neighbor confronted the alledged driver who was identified in a police report as an Indianola man, Harris said. The neighbor told him he was required to remain at the scene, but he reportedly insisted he was “going up the street,” got a dog from the vehicle and walked away.
“He wasn’t there when the police got here,” Harris said.
The fire report states that first responders treated the call as a hazardous situation because of a gas leak at the meter and that heavy damage to the house caused it to sit on the front bumper of the Suburban. MedStat was dispatched to help move Harris’ bedridden husband to another residence while crews worked the scene, the report says.
Harris’ grandson and daughter arrived shortly after the impact and reported the smell of gas inside the house, she said. Harris added that her husband, who cannot walk, was inside at the time of the crash and remains shaken.
According to Harris, her insurance company has advised her not to move the vehicle because of the structural damage to the house. She said she was told a contractor will have to inspect the home and complete necessary repairs or stabilization before the SUV can be removed.
No injuries were reported in the fire incident report, but the south side of the residence is listed as “destroyed” in the police report. The crash remains under investigation by the Indianola Police Department. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the department at 662-887-1811.
