'What do I do about a police car in the living room?'

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By Casey Norton

Summary

Kirkland police are looking for the driver who set off a nasty chain-reaction accident. An officer swerved to miss a turning car, flew through some hedges and landed in Joey Ladson's house.

Story Published: Dec 21, 2009 at 7:01 PM PDT

Story Updated: Dec 22, 2009 at 6:14 PM PDT

'What do I do about a police car in the living room?'
KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Police here are looking for the driver who set off a nasty chain-reaction accident.

An officer swerved to miss a turning car, flew through some hedges and landed in Joey Ladson's house.

"My son called, and he goes, 'Yeah, what do I do about a police car in the living room?' And I'm like, 'What?!"' Ladson said.

The Kirkland police cruiser plowed a new driveway right through Ladson's hedges, pulling the siding and the spigot right off the house. It hit the house so hard it sent the floor joists off the foundation through the back wall, throwing the deck deeper into the yard.

The big car scattered all of Ladson's die-cast collectibles. The damage is so bad, the homeowner had to move out just days before Christmas.

"The front tire was sitting through the wall," Ladson said.

The driver of the turning car got one look at all the damage he caused before speeding off, according to police. What may have been a split-second reaction could now take the police, the city, and the homeowner months to clean-up.

The squad car is wrecked beyond repair, police said, but the officer and his civilian ride-along who were inside at the time were not injured.

Investigators say at the time, the officer was on his way to a domestic violence call, using no lights or sirens.

"A vehicle turned in a turn lane, heading southbound in the lane, and the officer had to swerve to avoid colliding into that vehicle," said Officer Allan O'Neill.

Police are investigating the accident, and looking for the car that cut off the officer.

With family on the way in three days, Ladson is just trying to save his Christmas. He doesn't expect a card from the police department, but he'd like something besides the red-tag on his door that says he can't live in his own home any more.

Ladson says the city is treating him well. Insurance has paid for his hotel and meals, and a rental house he found Monday morning.

The city would like to find that other driver so it doesn't get stuck with the bill to repair all the damage.