CHANDLER, AZ — About the time he would typically be going to bed, a Chandler man was instead limping in the front yard after a Tesla backed into his bedroom while he was lying down Wednesday night.
“Sound of a bomb, it was really loud,” he said describing the moment of impact.
He didn't want to show his face on camera but Chandler man, Kiwi, was able to stand on his sore legs for a few minutes to share details about what happened.
“Car passed my legs, like this, and then the car hit my butt,” he said as crews worked to patch the hole left by the car.
Other than cuts, bumps, and bruises, Kiwi says he wasn't seriously hurt.
As for the crash, a friend of the driver told ABC15 on Wednesday the car was purchased just hours before the crash, around 4 p.m.
The driver was looking to test out the new electric car.
Security video from a neighbor down Wildhorse Drive shows the Tesla crossing the street in reverse. The out-of-control car also hit a Toyota Prius parked nearby.
Inside the room where it happened, Kiwi said he was in his bed when that Tesla smashed through his window. He rolled to get out of the way. He said glass started to shatter first which led to minor cuts.
A photo taken by Kiwi’s daughter, Angelina, shows the car backed up all the way to the back wall, destroying a chair. There are even tire marks on the carpet.
He said when family came in, they feared the worst — and so did he.
“I was holding the passenger side door because I thought someone was coming out of there trying to hurt me,” he said
The people inside the brand new car live just across the street.
They didn’t want to comment for the story but said everyone is okay and they do have insurance.
“I don't think they meant to do that,” said Kiwi.
The plan for Kiwi and his family of four, who rent the home, is to stay at a hotel until they can find a longer-term solution while repairs are made.
He said the crash also destroyed the equipment he uses as a Korean interpreter so he's not able to work right now either.
But he realizes everything could have been a lot worse.
“Today I cried a couple times after I got out from the hospital, I just can't believe this is happening to me."
