Cars Repeatedly Crash Into Houses, Government Does Nothing

I’m not sure about the situation in flyover country, but it appears that homeowners on the right and left coasts are having trouble with uninvited automotive guests.

Last year I wrote about Ray Minter, a resident of San Jose, California, who has a recurring problem with airborne cars. Minter’s house is located at the end of a long freeway off-ramp that acts as a launching ramp for drunk drivers and other incompetents. Over the 56 years he’s lived there almost two-dozen cars, trucks, and SUVs have landed in his yard, three of them hitting the house.

The only conveyance that hasn’t crash-landed in Minter’s yard is an airplane. (For the complete story on Minter, click here.)

Leonard Miller, an 88-year-old who lives in Lanham, Maryland, can’t match Minter for the total number of vehicles that have come to rest in his yard, but he is ahead on the number of vehicles that have hit his home.

WTTG reports Miller was asleep on his basement couch when "a car came barreling through the nearby wall around 2 am, breaking through the brick, 2X4 studs, sheetrock, and two windows." Miller’s response was entirely predictable, "Damn, another car hit my house!"

This impact marks the fifth time in the 45 years he’s lived there that a speeding car has collided with the Miller abode. This time the damage required him to cover the large hole in his house with plywood until the insurance company can start the repair process. The previous collision resulted in the replacement of the columns that hold up his porch.

Miller doesn’t live at the end of a long, downhill freeway exit. In fact it’s just the opposite, which proves motoring incompetence encompasses a large number of situations. Miller’s home is located on the outside of a curve at the top of a hill. Cars come speeding up the hill — in spite of the 30 mph limit — the drivers lose control and as their vehicle leaves the road, it jumps the curb and hits his house.

Maryland may have legalized gambling a while back, but Miller has played auto roulette long enough. He’s afraid his luck may run out the next time an uninvited car barrels through the bricks. So he contacted the county. There, blue state bureaucrats displaying the customer-oriented attitude that’s a byword for states like California and Maryland said that before they can do nothing, Miller needs to file a "formal request."

Photos, news stories, accident reports, and insurance documentation are not enough. Miller has to send an email or call 311.

Then the county will decide if Miller is important enough to conduct a traffic study. Meanwhile, Leonard flinches a little each time he hears a car speeding up the hill.

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.