A Chevy Malibu struck a parked car about 5:03 p.m., June 17, on the 1100 block of Circle, causing the vehicle to flip on its side and skid north down the street, said Deputy Police Chief Michael Keating.
After the car turned over, it started smoking. Several neighbors called police, then ran out of their homes and helped the young driver climb from the wreck.
“I’m almost 60, so over the years you see things and, like everybody, you run over and do your best to help,” said Geoff Binns-Calvey, a neighbor who held open the door for the young man to climb out. “That’s what any decent person does, and we’re full of decent people around here.”
Hearing a loud thump, Binns-Calvey said, he ran out of his house, and saw the gray car on its side. Approaching the vehicle, where he could barely make out a young man, roughly 19, against the driver’s side window, which was down against the pavement. Binns-Calvey and three neighbors held open the passenger side door, while the man climbed out of the smoking Malibu. He then helped the driver call his mother, who lived down the street.
“I didn’t save anyone yesterday, I just came by and helped hold the door. I did what every other neighbor who heard the crash did,” Binns-Calvey said.
Keating said numerous neighbors called police about the crash, which he said was likely the result of distracted driving and speeding. The man was charged with driving on a suspended driver’s license and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Damage to the Malibu was estimated at more than $1,500. The driver refused medical attention. Keating praised neighbors who helped the driver exit the car.
“I think we have a great community,” he said.
CONTACT: ntepper@wjinc.com
