Imagine waking up in the middle of the night due to a loud boom, then seeing a massive fire in your backyard. This was the reality for one family in North Carolina as an SUV crashed in their backyard. Also, this should serve as a reminder to wear your seatbelt and don’t drive drunk. 

Drunk North Carolina driver causes fiery SUV crash 

Things were quiet in a North Carolina neighborhood as residents peacefully slept in their homes. Until an SUV ran off the road around North Centennial Street and Country Side Drive. Then it burst into flames. 

According to My Fox 8, neighbors are still putting the pieces together as a drunk driver crashed into a backyard around 2:30 AM. Emergency responders received reports of a person getting ejected. 

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found a 26-year-old man in the grass, 100 feet away from the SUV. Police officers shared that he was speeding, drinking, and wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. 

The crash occurred in Tina Pendry’s yard. She shared that, “It was so loud, it sounded like a bomb. Then the entire living room lit up bright white. It was traumatizing to see car parts in the yard.”

Investigators believe that the driver missed a curve and ran off the road. He hit a mailbox, utility pole guide wire, tree, an embankment, and more trees before the SUV rolled over and burst into flames. 

Pendry described the incident as the worst wreck she has ever seen. The aftermath was difficult to witness. Her yard is still full of metal, glass, and debris as smoke lingers in the air. 

The driver was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries, and his condition is unknown. He was charged with driving impaired and could face more charges later.