South Jordan family describes ‘miracle’ following Thanksgiving Day crash
Nov 29, 2021, 12:08 AM
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — A South Jordan family jolted out of their home Thanksgiving night after a car suddenly plunged over an edge and into their backyard.
The crash happened on 4000 West, in the area of 11000 South, around 11:30 p.m.
It appears the driver was taking his six nieces and nephews out for a ride around the block in his Tesla, according to reports from neighbors.
South Jordan police suspect the driver, identified in arresting documents as 37-year-old Sharanjit Singh Multani, was speeding when he lost control of his car and flew past the guardrail.
What followed has neighbors thinking this was a miracle.
#EXCLUSIVE– A car plunges down a 30 foot drop into a South Jordan family's backyard… Why they say what happened next was nothing short of a miracle… Story now on @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/Mq0y0BVipa
— Garna Mejia KSL (@GarnaMejiaKSL) November 29, 2021
“It felt like the wall was failing in some way,” said homeowner Jeremy Lindley.
The car didn’t stop there — it flew down the 30-foot drop.
“I think it took all three trees out,” said Lindley. “We didn’t see any marks in the ground between here and there. It appears that it came through the air, all the way from there to here.”
The car landed in Jeremy and Amber Lindley’s backyard, just feet away from their bedroom window.
“It was so loud. There were three really loud bangs, and then followed by just debris, sand, and rocks hitting our window. I have never heard anything like that before,” said Amber Lindley.
Knowing instinctively what this meant, the Lindleys ran outside to help.
“All I could see was just this mangled up car,” said Amber. “As I got closer to the car, I could hear screaming, and so I knew that there were people obviously inside and they needed to get out.”
“We couldn’t get the driver’s side open, but the passenger’s side, we were able to open,” said Jeremy.
That’s when Jeremy realized the driver had six children inside the car with him.
“There was just a bunch of kids piled in there,” he said. “As I was pulling them out, that’s when you were really counting, and they just kept coming out.”
The couple braced for the worst.
“I kept thinking I would get to the injuries eventually, and pretty soon, there was nobody left in there,” said Jeremy.
Somehow, everyone managed to walk away from the crash with only minor injuries, according to the Lindleys.
“It just is like, the worst thing that never happened,” said Jeremy.
It’s why the Lindleys say there is only one way to describe what happened.
“I really feel like it’s a miracle, it’s going to be okay. The kids are going to be okay, we’re going to be okay, and we’re just so thankful and grateful,” said Amber.
Police suspect Multani was driving at a “very high rate of speed.”
According to arresting documents, only one of the six children in the car was wearing a seatbelt.
A four-year-old was also without a child seat.
Multani was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of several charges, including suspicion of driving under the influence with a minor, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, failure to provide a child restraint device, and failure to secure seat belt for child 8-16 years old.
