On Saturday, an SUV plowed through the exterior wall of a home on East Burnside in East Portland, blasting straight into a family’s living room and leaving the house essentially gutted. The family – two adults, their teenage son, and several pets – is now displaced. Neighbors and the homeowners say the living room was destroyed, with the vehicle still embedded in the wall as crews carefully worked around it. The crash has forced the family out of the neighborhood while they wait for structural inspections and repairs.
SUV Left Wedged Inside Living Room
The driver’s SUV punched through the exterior wall and into the Greens’ living room, scattering furniture and leaving a television barely clinging to exposed studs, according to photos the family shared with local reporters. As of Sunday afternoon, the vehicle was still lodged in the house, and crews warned that pulling it out too quickly could bring the roof down. As reported by KGW, the family’s images show a living room that looks more like a crash scene than a place to relax.
Family Displaced, Repairs Could Take Weeks
“Our house is currently unlivable,” Kayla Green told reporters, describing how the crash instantly upended the family’s daily routine. The Greens – Kayla and Amber, their teenage son, three cats and a dog – are now holed up in a hotel near Oregon City while they wait for word on repairs. Their landlord has warned it could be more than a month before they can move back in.
The timing has been brutal. Kayla and Amber said they recently lost their jobs when the restaurant where they worked shut down, and now they are facing unexpected housing costs on top of everything else. The family has launched a fundraiser to help cover expenses while they search for new work and wait for the house to be made livable again, according to KGW.
Arrest And Legal Stakes
Portland police arrested the driver on suspicion of DUII, Oregon’s criminal charge for driving under the influence of intoxicants. Under state law, a DUII conviction can carry mandatory jail time, steep fines and long license suspensions, with penalties that increase when there is property damage or injury. For a summary of the statute and potential consequences, see Oregon Courts.
Why It Matters On Burnside
Local coverage last year also documented a similar case in which a driver was cited after crashing into an apartment building on East Burnside, according to reporting from KPTV.
Neighbors, Aid And Next Steps
Neighbors stepped in to help after the crash, and the Greens’ fundraiser has drawn attention online, but the family is still looking at a long road to recovery. City crews and the landlord must first clear the wreckage and stabilize the structure before anyone can even think about moving back in…