LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - A Lauderhill family has been forced out of their home after, police said, the driver of a pickup truck came crashing into the property and then struck several vehicles parked nearby while attempting to flee.
Surveillance video captured the moment that a black four-door truck plowed into Rebecca Goldston’s bedroom, at around 2:30 p.m., Sunday.
Goldston’s neighbor, Yvette Smalls, said she was startled by the crash.
“I heard a loud bang sound,” said Smalls.
Smalls then she became concerned for her neighbor.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ because I know when I’m talking to her on the phone, she’s saying, ‘I’m relaxing, I’m in my bed,’ and I told her, ‘Listen, your bed is going to suck you up. You have to get out,'” she said.
Thankfully, Goldston was not home, but when she returned, she was shocked by what she saw.
“‘Oh, [expletive],’ was my first reaction,” she said.
Goldston, who lives at the house with her six children, described the extent of the damage.
“The table next to my bed was basically pushed towards my bathroom, the bed is kind of pushed up a little bit, and then you have all of the debris from the glass and the bricks that were there,” she said.
Lauderhill Police called the crash a hit-and-run, because what the video doesn’t show is the driver speeding away and causing even more damage.
Investigators said the motorist slammed into Chi Sheu’s silver truck, leaving it with front-end damage.
“I was shocked,” said Sheu. “This not a good thing. That’s my workhorse right there, you know.”
The getaway driver wasn’t quite done.
Officials said he also slammed into six more cars, one palm tree, two mailboxes and more than one street sign before his vehicle got stuck.
He was transported to an area hospital for treatment but is said to be OK.
As for Goldston’s home, it has been deemed unsafe, and they have been forced to move out.
Sunday night, 7News cameras captured the front of the house boarded up with plywood.
Despite the dire situation, the homeowner said she’s not angry, considering this could have had a different outcome.
“If [my children] were in the room and I went out, I could’ve lost one of them,” she said, “so, yeah, that’s why I’m thankful. That’s why I’m blessed.”
Police have since identified the driver as 62-year-old Roy Render.
He is now facing several charges including DUI and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.
If you would like to help Goldston and her family, send an email to Goldston08@gmail.com.
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