A driver who apparently had a seizure drove his pickup into the bedroom of a house on South Hazel Street on Saturday narrowly missing some of the young children living inside, according to the Pine Bluff Police Department.
Nancy Holland said her daughter called her about 11 a.m. screaming, and then the daughter's husband called back telling her what had happened.
"I told them I was on my way," Holland said. "He ran through their bedroom. I just thank God they were able to get those kids out."
The children, ages 4, 7, 8 and 9, were taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center along with their parents, Courtney and Kenyetta Roseborrow, for observation, although it did not appear that any injuries they had were serious.
There were some tense moments, however, as police came onto the scene.
"They had some scrapes and bruises," Pine Bluff police Sgt. Shanee Jackson said. "But we couldn't find one of the children for a while. When the truck came through the wall, it rolled up one of the mattresses and the child was inside there."
The truck, driven by Joshua Sanders, 26, was traveling south on Hazel Street when it left the roadway at 34th Avenue and veered right, across the front yard, and into the brick structure at 3400 S. Hazel St., authorities said. When the truck hit the house, the collision broke out several windows and threw bricks into the yard.
"He hit a fire hydrant at 34th and Hazel, came across the private driveway and straight into the house," said Sgt. Deshawn Bennett. "There were no skid marks. He was out of it by the time he left the roadway. His foot was still on the gas when he hit the house. When he came to, he was combative because he didn't know what had happened."
Sanders was at the scene after the accident, searching for items in the truck as a wrecker service started pulling the vehicle away from the house. He declined to talk about what had happened.
Bennett said Sanders had been checked out earlier by paramedics who had come to the scene.
Holland said she was waiting to hear how her family was doing.
"Two of the kids had swollen legs," she said. "And one is still complaining about his side."
Jackson said Sanders would be given a citation although his medical condition would be taken into consideration.
A wrecker pulls a pickup truck away from the house it hit on Saturday. Police say the driver had a seizure. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)