Edmonton Journal

Sleeping man wakes up to truck crashing through bedroom wall

Driver, who was taken to hospital, may have had a medical issue, police say

- CLARE CLANCY cclancy@postmedia.com twitter.com/clareclanc­y

A 25-year-old Edmonton man snoozing on what should have been a lazy weekend morning woke to the sound of twisting metal and concrete after a truck crashed through his bedroom wall.

“I woke up panicked,” said Kyle Roach, noting it happened around 8 a.m. Sunday. “Debris and dust were falling on me from the ceiling.”

He was trapped but used a nearby phone to call emergency services to his home at 163 Street and 102 Avenue in west Edmonton.

“The truck was leaking and there was smoke from the engine filling the room,” he said, adding the driver was bloodied and seemed dazed.

Edmonton Police Service said there was no sign the 24-year-old driver of the truck was impaired.

“It appears to be possibly a medical episode,” said acting Staff Sgt. Kelly Surmon.

“It doesn’t look like any charges will be made.”

Police are still investigat­ing. The driver of the black Toyota Tacoma was taken to hospital as a precaution­ary measure.

Second to reflecting on a neardeath experience, Roach shared the same concerns as other people in the city Sunday.

“I need to find somewhere to watch the game,” he said, referring to a much anticipate­d Game 3 between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks.

Roach was told the truck could be supporting the house structural­ly, making it unlivable.

“Right now I’m in the mindset … assuming everything is gone,” he said, explaining he’ll search for a hotel with his grandmothe­r who also lived in the house. “She just heard a loud noise, thought the heater blew up.”

Roach said he’s counting himself lucky that his bed wasn’t placed next to the exterior wall.

“If my bed was any closer that truck would have ran over me,” he said. “Everyone is shocked I wasn’t hurt.”

He explained he doesn’t blame the driver after the harrowing experience.

“This was a complete accident,” he said.

“I’m still putting the pieces together.”

 ?? ED KAISER ?? A pickup truck crashed into at house at 16225 102 Ave. and into Kyle Roach’s basement bedroom, almost landing on him while he was sleeping around 8 a.m. Sunday.
ED KAISER A pickup truck crashed into at house at 16225 102 Ave. and into Kyle Roach’s basement bedroom, almost landing on him while he was sleeping around 8 a.m. Sunday.
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