MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A car crashed into a Macomb County home early on Monday morning, driving through a 9-year-old girl’s bedroom.
Laila Breitshtrus was sleeping in her room inside her home near 10 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Center Line, when the vehicle smashed through her wall.
The girl and her bed were thrown out of the room and into the front yard. Police said the SUV missed hitting Laila’s baby sister, who was sleeping in an adjacent room, by just four feet.
Laila suffered multiple injuries from the crash, including to her spine, nose and a laceration to her liver, according to police.
As she continues to recover from her injuries at the hospital, Laila opened up about what happened and her road to recovery. (You can watch the full interview with Laila and her mom in the video at the top of this article.)
“I was still asleep and didn’t know what was going on,” Laila said when asked if she remembered hearing the car.
“I remember getting thrown on the ground and then everything falling on me, and then trying to crawl out,” Laila said.
Then, she said her stepdad picked her up and made sure she was safe, and then called out for help.
After that, the 9-year-old heard someone say, “Call 911.” Officers arrived, and then they all waited for the ambulance.
When it comes to her recovery, Laila said she’s feeling better than she usually has felt being in the hospital, and said that she suffered an injury to her spine.
“The low part of my spine with my tailbone is fractured, I think, and I have a big bruise there,” Laila said.
During her time at the hospital, Laila said she’s grateful for visits from her best friend and all her other friends.
“I’m just really happy that she (best friend) came to visit me, and it makes me super happy that all my friends are just, they’re all just so nice and kind, and I’m super happy to have them as friends.”
Laila also discussed how she’s feeling about going back to her home.
“I’m a little scared to go back because I don’t want the same thing to happen, but to somebody else instead of me in my house.”
The 9-year-old said she feels grateful for all of the support, and has a message for everyone who’s been working to help her get better:
“I just need to thank them all for helping me and supporting me and my whole family, especially me, my mom, and my dad, because this has been really scary. So, I’m just really grateful and happy,” Laila said.
--> Click here to visit the GoFundMe page that was created to support Laila and her family.
Laila’s mom, Rachael Wright, also described finding the car in Laila’s room.
“When we woke up, we have a baby monitor on our nightstand,” Wright said. “We just looked at the monitor, seeing the wall or ceiling or whatever hanging in front of it. So, we ran to the baby’s room first, where that monitor was, and when we saw that she was okay, we obviously knew it was Laila. That’s when we ran to her room and saw the car.”
When asked if she was thinking the worst, Wright replied, “Oh, 100%, but you know mom instincts— I just had to try my hardest to stay calm, not only for Laila and myself, but for Lainey.”
“When we got outside, thankfully, my neighbor came out to take Lainey so I could, you know, put all my focus on Laila. I just remember telling her she was okay. You know, just making her feel safe and comfortable even when we didn’t know if she was actually okay or not.”
When talking about what it was like realizing Laila was conscious, Wright said, “I don’t want to say relief, but it felt like a relief that she was conscious, speaking to me, knew who she was and where she was, and could open her eyes and look at me.”
Wright said she’d love to go back to their home, but also could see her family finding a new place to live.
“Realistically, I’d love to go back to our home that’s been our home almost Laila’s whole life, but I still haven’t even been back there yet. I can imagine I could say I can go back, now, but as soon as I step into the house, I might feel a little different.”
The driver who crashed through their home, identified as 20-year-old Caris Adell Wade, is accused of running away from the scene after the crash.
Wade was taken into custody by a Warren officer, who was in the area, and on Tuesday, Oct. 14, she was charged with reckless driving causing serious injury and failure to stop at the scene of a crash.
When asked how she’s feeling following Wade’s arrest, Wright said, “I haven’t even had the energy to think about her, really. I do hope that she learns her lesson, but I hope that this is scarring her forever.”