SUV driver sets off domino effect, damaging home on Detroit's east side

Donna Cotton: 'I heard a big boom'

DETROIT – A house on Detroit’s east side sustained heavy damage Sunday.

An SUV slammed into a parked car in the driveway, knocking over a tree, which fell onto the home.

Donna Cotton, 81, said she’s seen a lot, but never anything like this. Now Cotton, who lives at the home, has to figure out what to do next.

“I heard a big boom and I was telling my family, ‘It's so loud. Wake up, because it could be real close,’” Cotton said.

The noise was “close.” The booming sound she heard came from her own home.

When Cotton went outside, “I seen this car crumbled up on the house,” she said.

A car belonging to Cotton’s boyfriend was parked in the driveway.

“I usually park in the driveway, so it was supposed to be my car tore up,” Cotton said. 

As for the driver, she took off.           

“All I understand is there was a woman and a baby in the backseat and after she got herself together a little bit, she pulled that baby out the backseat and went toward the corner,” Cotton said.                  

The driver left behind shards of glass, a damaged wall and front steps.

“... It was just so much damage I could see,” Cotton said.

Still, Cotton said she’s grateful the wreck didn’t have an even worse outcome.
“It could have been an explosion,” Cotton said. “It was between two houses and (there are) a lot of kids on the other side.”

The family of the driver has contacted Cotton, she said.

Cotton plans to call her insurance company Tuesday.


About the Author:

Koco joined the Local 4 News team in September of 2016. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit, attended Central Michigan University, and previously worked at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.