‘The whole house shook’ says Dartmouth resident after truck crashes into home

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WLNE) — A Dartmouth homeowner got an unexpected surprise Monday afternoon when a truck tore through her fence, hitting her house twice.

“I was inside and I heard this big, big bang,” said Madalena Leite. “I said to myself ‘Oh, it’s an earthquake’ because the whole house shook.”

Leite was doing laundry inside when a truck hit the side of her home on Sharp Street and tore through her backyard, causing debris to scatter.

“Then right after this was this big, big noise,” explained Leite. “I said ‘Oh gosh, what’s this?'”

Dartmouth police said the crash happened at the intersection of Sharp and Alpha Streets.

A 59-year-old woman driving a Subaru hit an 89-year-old man driving a pickup truck, causing both vehicles to hit separate homes.

When Leite came face-to-face with the elderly man in her backyard, she noticed he was shaken up and offered a kind gesture.

“I was so nervous too and then afterward I asked him if he wanted some water,” Leite said. “And he said please.”

When all was said and done, Leite was relieved her grandchildren weren’t playing in the yard at the time of the incident.

“Very happy, counting my blessings, materials you can always fix,” Leite said. “I think I’m going to have nightmares because that’s the place where my grandkids play, oh my gosh, I don’t want to go there.”

Both drivers were taken from the scene by ambulance for apparent minor injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.