Driver crashes car into family’s backyard, pregnant mother concerned about safety

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A family's backyard located on South Murray Boulevard and Airport Road, a major traffic corridor, is in ruins after a car smashed through their gate.

KRDO13 spoke to the homeowner, Meleena Pope, who expressed serious concern for her four-year-old and two dogs' safety.

Pope recalls unwinding for the night when she received a call from her neighbor.

"She said, I don't want to alarm you. There is a vehicle that drove through your fence and is now in your backyard, and I was confused. And I was like, what?" Says Pope.

That confusion quickly turned to panic as her neighbor's words registered; Pope remembered that her dogs were playing outside.

"I was hollering for my dogs, trying to put my shoes on," says Pope. Luckily, her husband had let the dogs in just moments before the crash. "So I closed the back door, and I turned around, and both of my dogs are standing there, and they're like, staring at me. I almost had an emotional breakdown."

While the dogs are safe this time, her concern isn't going anywhere; in fact, it's only growing.

"With us welcoming a new baby into our family and then also having a young four-year-old, it fills me with even more anxiety. As a parent, my number one job is to protect my kids," says Pope.

There is a guardrail along Airport Road, but part of it has been damaged, and it doesn't continue around the other side of Pope's home. The concerned mother says she's been in contact with the city, hoping to get that changed.

We reached out Colorado Springs Police Department about the crash to confirm if anyone was hurt and to learn the status of the driver, but as of 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night have not heard back.

This article may be updated.

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