INDIANAPOLIS — Yolanda Cabrera and her 1-year-old daughter were sitting in their living room on Friday afternoon. Little did they know, their lives would be flipped upside down in a matter of seconds.
“I heard a loud sound. Then I blacked out for a minute,” Cabrera said. “As soon as I came to, I heard my daughter screaming.”
That loud noise was a car crashing into their home on Oliver Avenue in a residential area of west side Indy.
“She was in my arms when we flew. Luckily, she only has a scratch and a mark on her,” Cabrera said. “I’m glad it wasn’t anything else. I’m glad that everything happened to me.”
Indianapolis Metro police officials said the driver of the vehicle fled the scene. Cabrera, who was alone with two of her daughters at the time of the crash, said she was pleading for help due to her injuries.
“As for my arm, I don’t know if I am ever going to be able to use it again,” she said. “My foot is really messed up.”
Neighbors rushed into the home to help. Some neighbors said that this is not the first time a car has come crashing into this exact home.
“People blow right through, this house has been hit multiple times,” one anonymous neighbor said. “My house next door has been hit multiple times. My mailbox kept getting mowed down and they had to move my mailbox further away.”
People in the neighborhood said something needs to be done to slow down drivers.
“More lights, more signs. Maybe even a speed bump or two.”
For now, Cabrera, her husband and her three daughters are left trying to pick up the pieces.
“We have to find a place to live. Now we are homeless,” she said. “We have to find a vehicle.”
The family is staying in an extended stay shelter for two weeks, courtesy of the American Red Cross. IMPD is leading the investigation into the crash.
Anyone looking to help out the Cabrera family can donate here.