After a teenage driver crashed his vehicle into a Peabody home last week, the car flipped onto its side, burst into flames, and the engine detached onto the front lawn. Robert Habeeb, Jr. 18, of Peabody, was reportedly returning home from hanging out with his peers at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning when the accident occurred. The vehicle first hit a tree stump, then a stone wall which sent the car into the air, and then into a house on Herrick Road, which caused both the car and house to catch fire. The owners of the house were not home when the accident occured but the damage to the house has been estimated at approximately $50,000.
Firefighters were said to have had to climb on top of the overturned vehicle as it was still burning to look for the driver. He was released from Massachusetts General Hospital with only relatively minor injuries including a bruised pelvis, back pain, a bump on his head, and burns on his knuckles.
The teenager´s father, Robert Habeeb said, “He fell asleep driving home…He doesn’t remember anything…I just want to thank the Peabody Fire Department and Police Department for finding Robert and pulling him out of the car and saving his life…When I think of what might have happened if they’d come a minute later …”
Peabody fire Capt. Dale Kimball recalled the scene of the accident as the most horrible he’d ever seen in more than a decade as a firefighter. A witness, neighbor Charles Annino, called his mere survival a miracle. The teenager´s father agreed and said “If you saw the car, you would think that, too…The tow-truck people said it was the worst wreck they’d ever picked up.” Family members have mentioned that the teen is looking forward to thanking the firefighters who rescued him.
Police Spokesman Michael Crane said that the investigation is open but they had not filed charges against Habeeb. Crane did not confirm if chargers could be filed at a later date. Peabody police have not involved the state police accident reconstruction team.
If you have been involved in a road accident, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced Massachusetts car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Sources:
Driver saved from burning car is home from hospital, The Salem News, December 13, 2011
Peabody teen whose car hit house released from hospital
, www.boston.com, December 13, 2011
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If you have been in a car accident, an experienced Massachusetts accident lawyer can advise you.