LUBBOCK, Texas – A West Lubbock homeowner is shaken after a Ford pickup truck, towing a horse trailer, crashed into her home late Thursday night. Lubbock Fire Rescue worked through the night to stabilize the damaged structure.
Josie Salvantez, who was in her kitchen putting away cake from her great-grandchild’s birthday celebration, had a close call when the truck barreled into her living room. Salvantez, who was just feet away from the impact, said she thought it was a tornado. “I thought this was it for me,” she said. “I never imagined it would be a truck.”
Salvantez said she heard a loud crash and saw debris—sheetrock and insulation—falling around her. “The next thing I saw was this truck and horses in a big trailer,” she said. Salvantez, who was trapped in the debris, managed to escape through a gap between the truck and the trailer. “I was yelling for help, but nobody could hear me,” she said. “Finally, I saw this gap and I just got out.”
The crash occurred near 13th Street and Inler Avenue. Salvantez said the driver of the truck told her he was trying to avoid another vehicle when the crash happened. “There was a car in front of him, and he tried to pass it,” she explained. “When he turned into the street, he lost control.”
By the time Lubbock Fire Rescue arrived, the driver and the horses in the trailer were safe. However, the fire department had to work carefully to stabilize the structure. “We go to a lot of vehicle versus building incidents, but not a one-ton truck with a 30-foot horse trailer attached,” said Jon Blair, a Lubbock Fire Rescue lieutenant.
Firefighters worked to prevent further damage to the home as they removed the truck and trailer. “We had to secure the building around the truck to make sure it wouldn’t collapse when we moved it,” Blair said.
Salvantez’s home was left severely damaged. “My table was right here, but now it’s gone. It ended up at the back door,” she said. “My washer and dryer are destroyed, and everything else lamps, sofa, recliner just gone.” Despite the destruction, Salvantez is thankful to be alive.
“I can’t replace everything, my pictures, my memories,” Salvantez said. “It’s hard to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
While her bedroom remained mostly intact, Salvantez said the pipes burst from the impact, causing water damage. She is currently staying with family and working with insurance to determine what’s next.
Lubbock Fire Rescue’s quick response and careful handling of the situation likely prevented further collapse of the home.