Deputy showed up to help when a car crashed into a Kenosha home

 

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A car crashed into a Kenosha house, catching fire, and left the driver unable to free himself. The story took a different turn when a Kenosha County Deputy responded to the scene, even though it wasn't his call.

Deputy Joseph Thomas said that he was actually heading to a different call when he heard all the radio traffic about the accident. Thomas immediately turned around.

"I knew that all the other units in the area were still tied up and I was the closest one," said Thomas.

"My immediate concern was preventing any loss of life or further injury," said Thomas.

It was about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday when witnesses said they saw a car speeding down the residential street, going as fast as 60 mph. 

Thomas cut the driver's seatbelt, then with the flames on the house, turned his attention to the people inside. 

Ruth Vogt and her husband have lived in their house for 24 years. 

We were woken by a car hitting our house and the aftermath of that was everything flying out of cabinets and closets and off the wall pictures, clocks, everything just fell, like an earthquake," said Vogt.

Inside the home it does look like an earthquake struck, with significant damage to the fireplace and walls.

"My husband ran through glass to get out of the house not knowing that that's what he was gonna be walking through, cause we didn't put lights on," said Vogt. 

The driver, Ronald Mello-Berrospi, who's from Florida, is now charged with a first offense OWI. Both the homeowner and the deputy think the situation could have been much worse.

"The driver was very fortunate. He missed a large tree, a fire hydrant and struck the home in the chimney, the brick chimney, so that prevented a lot of structural damage to the home," said Thomas.

"If he had missed the chimney he would've come right through the house, right through the house," said Vogt.

Tire tracks remain, and there's a lot of cleanups to do, but there were no injuries. The homeowners are thanking the quick actions of first responders.