‘People can’t drive;’ Residents express frustration after rash of vehicle into building crashes

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DAYTON — A recently-stolen Kia car crashed into a Dayton garage Thursday morning, marking at least 100 crashes involving vehicles crashing into buildings in the area.

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Thursday’s crash happened on North Euclid Avenue around 7:30 a.m. after a Kia Soul was found crashed into the side of the garage. A Dayton police spokesperson confirmed the car had been recently reported as stolen.

The car was found unoccupied, and police are still looking for the suspected driver.

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This is the fourth crash involving a vehicle hitting a structure in just the last week. Last Thursday, a pickup truck ran through a bedroom on Sylvan Drive in Dayton.

Dramatic Dayton police video camera footage released after the crash showed officers searching inside the house and later locating the homeowner, who had been pinned under a mattress after the crash.

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On Tuesday, a stolen Kia slammed into a house in Huber Heights. Also on Tuesday, a car crashed into the front of a Dollar General in Clark County. A woman was brought to the hospital following this crash.

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People living near where the crash occurred on North Euclid Avenue Thursday told News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott that crashes like these don’t happen often in their neighborhood.

“I don’t know how he could have done it from this angle, but it happened,” Bill Johnson from Dayton said.

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When asked about what they thought about the number of ‘vehicle in building’ crashes reported by News Center 7 this year, many neighbors said they were shocked, and tried to find reasons as to why this keeps happening.

“It’s just simple. People can’t drive. They can’t drive like they used to, I guess, or they don’t care,” Ron Wilson in Dayton said.

A Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson said unless a driver is fleeing from police, is under the influence, or does something else criminal – such as stealing a car – crashing into a building is just a misdemeanor.

With the rising risk of crashes, people in the Miami Valley are nervous that they could be the next one to be hit.

“You have kids playing in the neighborhood, people sleeping in their house. They get a car go through their couch. Unexpectedly. You don’t want that.”