3 injured when truck smashes into home

Published: Thursday, April 9, 2009 11:22 p.m. MDT
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HOOPER — Weber County sheriff's deputies are investigating a spectacular crash that sent a truck flying into the upper floor of a Hooper house.

Police said it began about 2 a.m. Thursday when a northbound 2006 Dodge Ram truck ran a stop sign on 5100 West, slamming into a 2005 Toyota Tundra truck. The driver of the Toyota, identified as 31-year-old Brandon Rowe of West Point, was critically injured.

"The Dodge truck lost control and rolled, tumbled and vaulted from the intersection approximately 50 yards," Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson said. "It hit a tree, bounced off it and shot up into the air — 15 feet up in the air."

The truck smashed into the home of Ray Hull, who lives near 4000 South and 5100 West.

Hull and his wife were asleep when the crash happened, though the initial truck collision is what woke him up.

Then there was the noise as the pickup careened across Hull's property.

"Then the house exploded," Hull said. "You thought a bomb went off, really."

Hull said he peeked through the doorway to the family room, which was swirling with dust and dirt.

And there, where the piano and 50-inch television had been, was a truck-sized hole through the brick wall of his home. Just outside the home, he could see a tire sticking up.

Story continues below

On the opposite side of the family room, a brick was embedded in the drywall. Bricks and wood littered the rest of the floor. The piano was thrust about 12 feet into the center of the room, and the big TV is simply no more.

"Fortunately, the family's bedroom is on the other side of the house," Anderson said.

Outside, Hull said, he could hear the driver of the Dodge, identified by police as Dylan Booker, 30, of West Haven, yelling. Booker had suffered minor injuries, while his passenger, Andrew Amacher, 30, of West Haven, was taken to Ogden Regional Medical Center with severe injuries.

Police said Rowe remains hospitalized at Ogden's McKay-Dee Hospital in extremely critical condition.

Investigators said they were looking at speed and alcohol as factors in the crash, but declined to say what evidence they had to support those conclusions.

Neighbors marveled at the hole in the Hulls' home and said the truck was likely traveling in excess of 90 mph in order to collide with one truck and continue to the home.

No arrests have been made, and sheriff's deputies said they would likely take the case to the county attorney to determine what, if any, charges should be filed.

Thursday afternoon, the Hulls, who work in construction, began demolition of the outside wall to remove any precarious bricks.

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com; jdougherty@desnews.com

Recent comments

The man in the Toyota is my cousin. Please keep him in your prayers.

Cousin | April 10, 2009 at 12:41 p.m.

A picture is worth a thousand words. I can't believe how the living...

Rob | April 9, 2009 at 10:30 p.m.

that happens at 2 am usually involves speed and alcohol. When will...

Anything bad | April 9, 2009 at 1:17 p.m.

Image

People survey the damage to a home in Hooper, Weber County, that was struck by a pickup truck Thursday morning.

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