If you ask any Realtor, he’ll tell you that curb appeal is number one when it comes to selling your house. But one mother in Florida doesn’t care that much for curb appeal: she’s all about preventative painting and has turned her home into a billboard to make sure Florida drunk drivers aren’t tempted to crash into her house again.
Angela Wells-Coleman, a resident of Callahan, Florida, had her home and mini-van crashed into by a suspected drunk driver in December of 2015. She was sleeping when the crash happened and had thought it was someone trying to break in, but when she saw headlights she realized someone had hit her house.
Thankfully the person sleeping in that room was OK, but the brick on her home was severely damaged, wires were hanging everywhere, and she lost water after the crash. She’s grateful that the crash impact was lessened by the fact that the suspected drunk driver hit her van and drove through her yard before hitting the house, otherwise the damage to her home might have been more severe.
It’s one more crash in state where drunk driving crashes like these are common, and driving under the influence (DUI) crashes are one of the reasons why Florida has begun requiring ignition interlocks for first time drunk drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over .15. They are also available in lieu of a 10 day vehicle impoundment for offenders with BAC between .08 and .14, and the state has recently taken the step of adding the 24/7 Sobriety Program in addition to interlocks with the hope that it will stop repeat offenders from drinking and driving.
As for the Wells-Coleman’s crash, the estimated damage to the home was $15,000. Until her home insurance covers the damages, she’ll keep her billboard up in an effort to send a message to all Florida drunk drivers: this is what can happen if you drink and drive.