INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Deputies are awaiting toxicology results after a woman drove a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta through a residence and ended in the backyard last week. A man and woman who live at the home were not hurt, but a cat was struck and killed during the crash, said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
“(The vehicle) went completely through the house from the front all the way to the backyard. There was definitely major structural damage to the home,” Jaworski said. “Impairment is suspected. Charges are a possibility depending on the toxicology results.”
The woman was still in the driver’s seat when deputies arrived, a sheriff’s incident report shows. Jaworski said deputies found the cat’s body underneath the car.
Deputies have not released the identity of the 58-year-old woman because of the active investigation. The incident was captured on the popular, national reality police series, On Patrol: Live, which features Indian River County deputies. The program streams Friday and Saturday nights on the Reelz network.
The collision happened about 10:16 p.m. Feb. 2 at the single-family home in the 1300 block of 38th Avenue in Vero Beach. Jaworski said the two residents, along with two dogs and a cat, were inside the home when the Volkswagen driver plowed through the property.
It was not immediately clear how fast the woman was driving. Jaworski said a rotation tow company retrieved the Volkswagen from the property.
“Speed has not been determined yet, but fast enough to go through the entire house,” Jaworski said.
The woman was taken by ambulance to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce with non-life threatening injuries, said Bill Herrington, Assistant Fire Chief with Indian River County Fire Rescue. Details on if the residents are being assisted to find another place of shelter were not immediately available.