Driver killed, car engine ejected into house during crash

BELCERTOWN, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM/Gray News) - Massachusetts State Police are investigating a deadly crash that damaged multiple properties.

The 19-year-old driver was thrown from his vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene.

Massachusetts State Police said around 8:45 p.m. Sunday, a state trooper tried to stop a 2011 Nissan Altima, but the driver sped away.

After the driver fled from police, the Altima struck a mulch patch, which sent the car airborne and over a rock wall on North Main Street into trees and light posts.

The car landed and hit the front of a parked Jeep Wrangler, sending the engine block from the Nissan flying through the air, officials said. It punched a 4-foot hole into the second floor of a building.

More debris from the crash blew another hole into the first floor.

Resident Trevor Sims said he was home when it was severely damaged by debris from the car crash.

“I just sat down, just sat down when the car came through,” Trevor Sims said.

The debris put two holes in his North Main Street home.

“I checked upstairs in the bathroom and I saw the motor smoking in the upstairs,” Trevor Sims said.

He added that his mother-in-law lives at the home with him and his wife. She was in the second-floor room just minutes before the engine was launched into the home.

“If that Jeep wasn’t there, she probably wouldn’t be with us today,” Trevor Sims explained.

Trevor Sims’ wife, Donna Sims, said they found the driver’s body behind their house.

“They found the guy that got ejected from the car. He was kind of in the bushes in the back,” Donna Sims said. “It was shocking. It’s still shocking. I feel like I’m in this bubble and I’m going to step out of it and everything is going to be fine.”

The Sims are now taking steps to recover from the damage. They are receiving help from the Red Cross and contacting their home insurance company for further financial support.

“I called the insurance this morning about 8:30 a.m. and the Red Cross got us last night. They interviewed us and got our information,” Trevor Sims said.

“They gave us a card with like $600 on it to pay for a couple nights for a hotel,” Donna Sims added.

Massachusetts State Police have yet to identify the driver of the Nissan.

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