A Mercedes-Benz SUV plowed through the wall of the garage at the Parlee Farm in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Tuesday morning.
No one was hurt, but the crash left the entire home without power, leaving them with no way to get water to the horses, and a lot of damage to deal with at the historic home.
Grazing horses are usually the first thing people notice when driving by the Parlee Farm in Chelmsford. But on Independence Day, there was a red SUV sticking out of the other side of the garage on Proctor Street.
“You don't see the front end of the vehicle sticking out of a building that often," Chelmsford Fire Captain Danielle Koutsoufis said.
Fire officials say it happened around 8:30 in the morning. The 63-year-old homeowner was backing out of the garage when she hit a parked car, panicked and then accelerated straight through the rear wall, leaving a 10x7 hole.
Police say two-thirds of the vehicle had broken through the wall, with one-third held back by the garage's foundation.
“What we were told is that she put it into drive and the car took off on her," Koutsoufis said.
The Mercedes was towed from the scene, but the driver was not hurt.
“She was a little bit shaken up, I mean, it's a traumatic event to be in a vehicle accident," Koutsoufis said.
The impact severed gas and electric lines, prompting National Grid to cut both utilities from the home and the entire farm.
One of the primary concerns was finding a way to get water for the horses on the property.
The building commissioner deciding not to condemn the home after seeing repair plans from the owners.
“We're lucky that the car went through basically what’s a curtain wall. So it’s not load bearing at all," Chelmsford resident Shirley Kimball told NBC10 Boston.
With friends and community members stopping by throughout the day to help clean, board up the wall and offer moral support.
“I said I want to come over and see if I can just give them a hug," Kimball added.
It’s not clear when the farm will get power back, but NBC10 Boston was told the owners were working on setting up a generator to get water for the horses.
Police say they did not detect any signs of impairment in the driver, and no charges have been filed.
