GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — A family is still in shock after a semitrailer tore through their home Wednesday morning.
The crash took everyone in Grand Rapids by surprise with several neighbors telling WTOL 11 they could hear and feel the impact blocks away.
It happened just before 8 a.m. at the home on the corner of West Second Street and Wapakoneta Road. The family inside the home was evacuated safely, but everything was lost.
"We watched our family house get torn down," said Alissa, who's lived in the house her whole life. She said her family bought and added to it in the 90s.
Neighbors like Julie Wilder heard the crash from blocks away.
"I did not expect to see what I saw at all," she said. "I got goosebumps right now just talking about it. I've never seen a semi crash like this before."
Memories and belongings are now fenced in around the rubble as the home was demolished.
But the community is already stepping up, dropping off donations at the nearby fire station. The family needs clothes and supplies for a 9-month-old girl and a 7-year-old boy.
"Everybody is donating for the baby which is amazing. It's awesome, I love to see it," Alissa said. "It's much appreciated but there's also other kids in the house."
She said this isn't the first time a vehicle has crashed near her home. It's happened twice before but never like this.
Wilder believes something needs to be done to make the street safer.
"It's very dangerous because the semis are coming off and going down 65 here," she said. "They just don't seem to care and there's a lot of kids here in the community."
For now, the family is just trying to pick up the pieces. But the community's making sure they don't have to do it alone.
"Just one community and actually more communities coming together. It's amazing," Wilder said.