A Michigan man narrowly escaped serious injury when a car crashed into his home on Sunday night, an incident he attributes to a crucial Detroit Lions timeout during a game. Michael Pingel was in his living room watching the Lions play the Green Bay Packers when the incident occurred.
Pingel told ClickOnDetroit.com that he stood up from his couch to walk to the kitchen just as the Lions called a timeout in the closing moments of the game, which Detroit was winning with a field goal.
"The Lions just called timeout. It was the end of the game. They were marching down for the field goal, and they called timeout," Pingel said. "I got up off the couch, started walking into the kitchen, and the car came through and just totally took out my whole living room."
He described seeing "orange" and initially fearing his house was on fire, only to realize it was the running lights of the vehicle. "I'm lucky I still wasn't on the couch," he added.
The black Kia crashed into the Chesterfield Township, Michigan, residence around 7 p.m. local time. Four individuals were in the car at the time of the crash, and one was transported to a hospital with minor injuries. Pingel stated that four young people exited the vehicle after the crash, claiming another vehicle had cut them off.
Neighbor Benjamin Bebkoan, who was outside at the time, heard tire squealing before witnessing the car crash through Pingel's fence and into the house. "It was that fast. I'm still blown away. It's unbelievable," Bebkoan said.
Chesterfield Technical Rescue Group and the Chesterfield Township Building Department were dispatched to the scene due to the extensive damage. The house required stabilization before the car could be removed from the living room. The full extent of the damage has not yet been determined.
Pingel also reported that his cat has been missing since the crash, and he is hopeful the pet is hiding nearby and will be found.
The crash is currently under investigation.