LAUGHLIN, Nev. (FOX5) — A driver who crashed through a backyard wall and landed in a pool admitted to drinking alcohol before the Dec. 15 incident, according to a police report obtained by FOX5.
Security camera footage of the crash went viral worldwide, showing the suspected drunk driver’s car going airborne after smashing through homeowner Cletis Reed’s backyard wall in Laughlin.
The driver survived the crash. Reed pulled the driver out of the pool himself after the incident.
Close call for homeowner
Reed said he heard the crash from inside his home and came outside to find his backyard destroyed.
“It sounded like a freight train. I figured something happened in the street and I come out to see my entire backyard destroyed,” Reed said. “I mean everything was just blown up. The patio is on the ground, the lady is floating in my pool.”
Reed said he was moments away from getting into his hot tub, which was located next to the wall that was destroyed in the crash.
“I popped the cover on and I was like, you know, I gotta tell my wife something. And by the grace of God I’m here and the patio goes bam. I would have been dead,” Reed said. “It would have killed me.”
Driver ejected into shallow end
According to the crash report, the driver was speeding moments before the incident, then failed to stop and hit a block wall before going airborne and rotating in the air, which caused the driver to eject and fall into the pool.
The driver landed in the shallow end of the pool, which Reed said is only about waist-deep with block walls.
“She ended up right in the shallow end. If she went 4 feet that way, and concrete — and you know the end result of that. She was blessed, and I was blessed,” Reed said.
Reed said the driver was conscious when he pulled her from the water.
“She kept floating face up, she flipped over face down, she snuck under water. She was conscious, but she was moaning and groaning. We get her out, God’s witness, she stands up 15 minutes later getting interviewed by police,” Reed said.
Driver admits to alcohol consumption
Officers said they smelled alcohol on the driver when they arrived at the scene. During questioning, the driver admitted to drinking two beers and a shot of Jameson whiskey.
Police said the driver “made multiple excited utterances about her making poor choices about drinking alcohol and driving”.
Police skipped the field sobriety test because the driver was injured and instead took her to the hospital in Arizona.
Extensive property damage
The crash destroyed Reed’s patio and contaminated his 25,000-gallon resort-style pool with motor oil. Reed had put his retirement savings into building his backyard oasis.
The car landed in such a position that a tow truck had to use a crane to remove it from the property.
Reed estimates repairs will cost nearly $300,000, and he will likely have to drain the entire pool.
“I can’t really sleep well because I keep running it through my head again,” Reed said.
Reed said the incident brought unusual attention to the area.
“I would absolutely say that. I had 10 visitors to 15 the next day literally walking up this dirt pack and poking their head,” Reed said.
The driver has not been charged in the incident, though court records show she has prior traffic violations.
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