There was some morning mayhem along the eastern end of Precita Avenue last Saturday, when an out-of-control car struck a house and a fire hydrant before coming to rest in the wall of another home up the street.
The incident began at around 10 am on Saturday morning, when a Toyota traveling west on Precita swerved from the roadway and bounced off the facade of a home on the 600 block of Precita:
Next, the vehicle sheared off a fire hydrant, sending a column of water into the sky:
The car then continued west for another half-block, until it left the street again and embedded itself in the side of a house on the northwest corner of Precita and Florida.
Police at the scene said two people were in the car, but no one was seriously injured. The driver showed no sign of alcohol- or drug-impairment, and the accident was treated as a motor vehicle violation, not a criminal incident.
PHOTOS: Structural damage photos by Telstar Logistics. Hydrant geyser by @SFMOCA
Bernalwood 
“. . . the accident was treated as a motor vehicle violation, not a criminal incident.”
How fast does someone have to be driving down a quiet residential street to hit one wall, knock over a fire hydrant, and smash into another wall with that much damage? Would a pedestrian wielding a sledgehammer be coddled by the SFPD in similar fashion? Even calling it an “accident” lets the driver off the hook.
@Fran Taylor, the accident is being treated as a “motor vehicle violation” because the man behind the wheel had a heart attack and lost control of the car.
That’s terrible. Thanks for that update, Susan.
I was wondering what could’ve been going on with the driver considering all the info BernalWood was printing about this incident.
Two homes struck.:.A car carreening down the road to run over a hydrant and send a geyser of water into the air…
There are two people in the vehicle, no sign of impairment through abuse, and the police are considering it a vehicle accident and not a criminal incident.
Something was definitely going on with driver…
That’s awful to hear that the driver was suffering a heart attack.
I hope that all will be well with him.
And, thank you, Susan for clearing that up because BernalWood had me scratching my head.
I’m grateful too, as because I was scratching my head as well.
Now, about that “flame of water” from the fire hydrant. Shouldn’t that be cause for concern?
Hmmm…. (Thanks for the typo alert)