REDINGTON BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A man crashed his car into a home on Bath Club Drive Tuesday afternoon, with witnesses saying he nearly killed the occupants inside.
The elderly couple living inside the home was watching television in the next room when a pool maintenance man, according to witnesses, plowed into the home.
“He flew by like a blur,” said Tony Napolitano from Premier Pools & Spa.
Napolitano was working with his crew several doors down and witnessed the incident. The pool company he works for is unrelated to the pool maintenance man who crashed into the home.
“The impact was solid; we thought the person was dead,” said Napolitano. “He’s a pool maintenance guy, so he was carrying hazardous materials.
Witnesses said the elderly couple, using walkers to assist with balance, came out of their home shocked. They thought an explosion of some sort took place next door where Napolitano and his crew were working.
Napolitano explained that hazmat crews were quick to arrive since the pool maintenance man was carrying chemicals.
“All of his hazardous material were in the back,” he explained. “Muriatic acid exploded in the car. It shattered all over the back window causing a cloud of toxic fumes. Hazmat had to be called.”
The couple survived and was airing out their home due to the toxic fumes.
The pool maintenance man, according to witnesses, appeared to be uninjured. However, he was seen in an ambulance leaving the scene.
“He was on something,” said Napolitano. “There’s no way you survive something like that unless you’re totally relaxed. He was going at least 50 miles-per-hour, and he walked away with barely a scratch. He didn’t seem drunk, but I know he wasn’t sober either. We’re just glad the people inside are alive.”
