Car strikes house in Arlington Heights

The driver of an SUV was injured after her vehicle smashed into a house Thursday night in Arlington Heights, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 8 p.m. on the 300block of North Douglas Street, according to the Arlington Heights Police Department.

The driver, whose identity has not yet been released, was traveling at a “pretty good” rate of speed when her red Honda SUV struck the corner of the house's front porch, according to a police spokesman. The front of the car was badly damaged in the wreck, and the air bags were deployed.

The homeowners were home at the time of the crash but were not injured.

Chelsea Sarikas said she and her father, Thomas, had just finished eating dinner when they felt the impact of the vehicle hitting their house.

“We were in our family room. He was about to clean up and I was watching TV, and all of a sudden we felt this huge shake to the house and I saw things falling down. I thought it was an earthquake at first,” Sarikas said. “My dad ran to the front of the house and saw the car and he heard the woman screaming.”

Sarikas said it took firefighters about a half-hour to free the driver from her car. The driver, described by Sarikas about 25 years old, was conscious the whole time.

The driver was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, though her condition was unknown.

“There's structural damage to the house, but that's not as important as hopefully she's going to be OK,” Sarikas said.

Officers remained at the scene Thursday night investigating the crash.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff photographer Mark Welsh contributed to this report.