Truck Smashes Through House Near Emerickville

PINE CREEK TWP., Pa. (EYT) – A truck crashed into a house near Emerickville in Pine Creek Township in the early morning hours on Monday.

(Photos provided by Shawn Miller)

According to a representative of Jefferson County 9-1-1, they received a call around 12:15 a.m. on Monday, October 14, reporting a truck had crashed into a house along U.S. 322 near Emerickville.

Pine Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Jefferson County EMS, and LifeFlight were dispatched to the scene.

Punxsutawney-based State Police also responded to the scene.

ExploreJeffersonPA.com reached out to Shawn Miller, the owner of the house that was struck in the crash.

According to Miller, he, his wife, Amber, their two children, and their niece were all in the house, sleeping upstairs, at the time of the crash.

Miller said the driver of the truck was heading from Reynoldsville to Brookville when the crash occurred.

“He went through the neighbor’s yard, then hit my driveway and went airborne and hit the guide wire that holds the phone pole up, which snapped the phone pole and ripped the electrical lines off the house,” Miller said.

According to Miller, the sound of the initial impact with the guide line is what awakened him and his wife, and they just had time to question the noise when the vehicle struck the house.

“It all happened so quick,” Miller said.

The vehicle struck the front corner of the Miller’s home, which was where the stairs from the second floor to the first floor were located, leaving the family trapped upstairs.

Miller said he ended up climbing out of a window onto the roof of the porch on the back of the house, then jumping down and going to retrieve a ladder to get the rest of the family out. At the same time, his niece was contacting 9-1-1, while his wife was contacting their neighbors to help with the children.

“It was like a horror movie. I could hear him (the driver) gurgling and moaning. Then I shined my flashlight on my phone around and saw that a car had gone through the house.”

According to Miller, the driver of the vehicle was able to climb out of the wreckage, and made his way over to the family and asked if everyone was okay.

“He was torn up pretty bad and had trouble moving, but we all just gathered around and said a prayer together.”

None of the family members inside the house were injured, but the driver of the vehicle suffered serious injuries and was transported by LifeFlight from the scene.

The damage to the Millers’ house was severe.

“It’s a total loss,” Miller said.

He noted that the crashed had actually shoved the house about eight inches off the foundation at an angle.

While the family does have homeowner’s insurance, at this point, they don’t know how things are going to be handled, or where they will be staying for the foreseeable future.

“The Red Cross was here, and they’re helping us out, and the neighbors…we’re just so relieved to have these good neighbors, every single one of them around us, I just can’t thank them enough. We’re truly blessed.”