DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — When a pickup truck plowed into a Highlands Ranch house early Wednesday morning, resident Cassie Mosier said she didn't know what was going on.
"Honestly I thought it could be like a tornado or something," said Mosier, who was asleep when the truck careered into the house and launched the dining room table across the room. "You could hear the sound of glass breaking."
The crash happened at 5:16 a.m. near Grace Boulevard and Fairview Parkway, after the pickup driver fell asleep at the wheel, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The driver, who was issued a summons for careless driving, and the passenger were both taken to a hospital. The passenger sustained serious injuries, the driver was treated and released, the sheriff's office said.
Mosier might not have known what was going on, but her boyfriend did.
"Clearly, lightning struck twice," said Darby Kim.
Kim lived in the house four years ago, when a car went airborne and hurtled through his garage. The sheriff's office said the driver of the car in the 2019 crash was an 86-year-old who had a medical issue prior to the car going off the road.
"I don’t view myself as unlucky," Kim said. "I think this is poor city planning."
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said the county's engineering department needs to review the intersection.
"We need to take some substantial steps to protect that community," Weekly said. "We're fortunate that nobody's been killed."
In a statement to 9NEWS, Douglas County Traffic Engineering and Operations said it recognizes this is a public safety concern: "Our traffic engineers are working with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to gather and evaluate all facts, which will inform next steps."
>Video below is from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office of the January 2019 crash.
Now the cleanup begins again for Mosier and Kim.
"It can't just be a fluke at this point," Mosier said. "It's pretty shocking."
Kim said the building inspector told them they can move back into the home once they board up the hole and have inspectors approve the electrical and gas systems. But he worries it could take up to a year to completely fix the damage.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
9NEWS+
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.