Family displaced after SUV crashes into home

Driver taken to hospital after smashing into Northside house

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Just before the holidays, a family has been displaced after an SUV crashed into their home on Jacksonville's Northside Friday afternoon. 

Firefighters and police were called about 2 p.m. after a Chevrolet Suburban slammed into a front bedroom of the house at the corner of Richardson and Vermont roads. News4Jax was told the driver was taken to a hospital.

"From the police report, they don't know exactly what happened. They just say he was unconscious and he said he doesn't know what happened," said homeowner Eric Johnson. 

IMAGES: SUV crashes into Northside home

Eric and his wife, Brenda, have owned the home for four decades. Eric said his nephew and the nephew's wife were in a back room of the home when the crash happened, but the couple's children, ages 6 and 7, were at school at the time. 

"It's very devastating. Here it is, a holiday coming up," Eric said. 

Shockingly, Brenda said, several drivers have run into their yard before, and the same incident occurred years ago.

"Maybe about 10 to 20 years ago, they would run into they house and they would run into the yard," she said.

The residents said they will be staying with relatives and are unsure how long they will be out of the home, which has been condemned. 

"It's not livable. The fire department said it's unsafe. The city says it's unsafe to live in there, so we will probably be living with my son for a while until we can get things fixed," Brenda said. 

The Red Cross will be assisting the family, and the insurance company will be processing the claim.