Family describes car slamming into St. George home, catching it on fire
Oct 1, 2021, 11:23 PM | Updated: 11:58 pm
ST. GEORGE, Utah — The sound of a car slamming into their home is something the Flowers family will never forget.
Around 1:00 a.m. Thursday, Duke Flowers heard a huge crash at his front door.
“The sound of that car hitting our house… it’s traumatic,” he said. “We just hear this insane crash, loud noise.”
Flowers ran to the entryway of their home, not knowing what to expect.
“I saw the hood of a car and a shattered windshield,” he said. “The motor of the car was still running. It was revving up the motor and the wheels were spinning.”
“We just hear this insane crash and loud noise!”
We are hearing tonight from the family whose home caught fire…when a 14 yr old slammed into it while driving under the influence.
At 10:00, the lesson the family wants us all to learn from this @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/WjDg6hvqrx— Ashley Moser (@AshleyMoser) October 2, 2021
He quickly got his wife and children out of the home and called 9-1-1.
When the family came around the corner to see the car, they saw flames spreading to their home.
They also heard a cry for help coming from the vehicle.
“We hear the kid screaming, ‘Someone help me!’” said Flowers.
A neighbor helped pull the 14-year-old suspected DUI driver to safety.
He was cited for DUI, curfew violation, driving without a license, and a traffic violation, then released to his parents.
The Flowers family hopes this crash will serve as a learning experience for everyone involved.
“I am grateful that that kid is alive and can learn and my kids can learn, you don’t do these things,” said Flowers. “It’s just a learning experience at this point.”
The Flowers moved into the St. George rental home earlier this year and said it was a shame to see the home destroyed.
They’re grateful the car stopped where it did — just short of hitting their master bathroom.
“We had our son in there, giving him a bath 25 minutes before that,” said Flowers.
The damage to their belongings and the home were so extensive, they are now needing to stay with family and then a hotel.
“The whole ceiling in the great room is black, the kitchen cabinets are black. You can just swipe your finger on the kitchen counter and there’s a quarter inch of black soot and stuff,” said Flowers.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe* account to help with expenses that are not covered by their rental insurance.
*KSL-TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
