Seth Leonard
sleonard@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE ó A collision at 2220 W. N.C. 152 in China Grove resulted in a vehicle crashing into a house but only minor injuries Monday afternoon.
Tommy Knowles was driving his Ford F-150 west on N.C. 152 when Robert Richard backed out of the driveway of the house. Knowles’ truck glanced off the rear bumper, causing him to lose control and ultimately end up in the side of the house of Eric Wray.
“He traveled 202 feet from the point of collision to the house,” said Cpl. J.E. Briggs of the China Grove Police Department.
Reports are being compiled in order to determine fault in the crash.
Knowles, who was driving to see his girlfriend, suffered minor injuries, including small cuts to his face, likely from the airbag.
“They gave me a clear bill of health and told me I’d be sore in the morning,” Knowles said.
Richard, who’s light-duty GM pickup was struck, had no visible injuries, but did say that his back was stiff.
Wray, the owner of the home, was at work when the crash occurred. He was unhappy with the situation because his house has been damaged before. Last summer a car crashed into some of his barrier pine trees. A wheel from the car flew off and smashed some items on his front porch.
Police estimated that the damage to Wray’s home totaled about $20,000. Wray disagreed. He estimated the damage to be over $30,000.
A heating oil tank was damaged, possibly beyond repair, and the foundation of the house was presumed cracked. Part of the roof had dislodged from the building, and the front porch had begun to split from the house. The construction was mostly brick.
Wray was particularly unhappy with the state of N.C. 152. He said that the speed limit is too high to be safe.
“We got annexed by the city and we’ve gotten nothing from the city, no sewer, no water, no nothing,” he said. “I know it’s a highway, but it’s a highway inside the city now. These idiots come flying through here like it’s the interstate.”
The speed limit on the two-lane road is 55 mph, which, officers said, means people are likely traveling at 65 mph.