SAN ANTONIO – A local man is crediting his air conditioning unit for preventing an out-of-control SUV from destroying his home.
Joseph Shelton was asleep around 5 a.m. Thursday when the vehicle, which San Antonio police said was stolen, barreled into the back of his home near the corner of Hunters Green Drive and Oak Stead.
Shelton said he first learned of it when a neighbor rang his doorbell, waking him up.
Somehow, Shelton did not hear the loud crash.
“It’s crazy!” he said. “I normally get up at 5:30, and he rang my bell at 5:15. I thought I was dreaming.”
When he walked outside, Shelton got a real eye opener seeing the damage done to the walls of a spare bedroom.
Shelton said, fortunately, he was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom when the crash happened.
“The vehicle was still running,” Shelton said, describing the scene. “If it wasn’t for the A/C unit, that vehicle would’ve come into my (spare) bedroom.”
While the air conditioner stopped the SUV from making its way through his downstairs area, the vehicle still caused extensive damage.
Shelton said his walls and foundation were cracked in the crash.
“My contractor has already been here. They’re going to get everything moved out of the backyard today. They’ll have the fence repaired today,” he said.
Shelton said his insurance company will cover the costs.
Police said the driver who caused the crash ran from the scene. They said the SUV was stolen from someone else in the same neighborhood.