‘I almost didn’t make it to Father’s Day.’ Puyallup family faces recovery from car crash
A Puyallup family is recovering after a car crashed into their apartment last week, injuring the father.
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue fire crews were dispatched at about 2 p.m. June 14 to the 12000 block of Sunrise Boulevard East. Crews found that a woman drove her car through the sliding-glass window of the family’s unit, a previous News Tribune story reported.
The woman was trying to park when a floor mat stuck to the brake prevented her from stopping, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Darren Moss told The News Tribune.
The man inside the unit was injured. The driver was unharmed. Moss said no arrests were made.
The family created a GoFundMe to raise funds as they recover.
“On Friday June 14, 2024, a Hyundai Elantra drove into our 744sq apartment through the glass sliding door striking my husband Chris injuring his spinal cord and wounding his knee,” Nadia Perez, who lives in the unit with her family, wrote in the fundraiser.
Perez wrote that she was running errands and her husband, Chris, put their son down for a nap. Chris then sat down on the couch in the living room and heard a vehicle revving outside. Moments later, the car went through, sending a Traeger Grill that was on their patio, the sliding door and part of the wall barreling inside.
“My husband was hit and pinned by the car against the wall. From the adrenaline that was pulsing through his body, he managed to break free from the wreckage and ran into our bedroom that was right next door to grab our son, fearing the car would burst into flames,” Perez wrote.
Chris went through the window to go outside with their son where he was met with neighbors who witnessed the incident.
“The first thing he said to me after I rushed home was, ‘I almost didn’t make it to Father’s Day,’” Perez wrote.
She wrote that her husband is the sole provider of their family. They are asking for donations to cover expenses as Chris recovers from his injuries.
“Anything helps, we appreciate the love and support from family, friends, and strangers,” the post said.
The GoFundMe currently stands at $455 with a goal of $15,000.
