Austin Man Faces Fines After a Drunk Driver Wrecks Into His Home

Austin homeowner, Chris Newby was slammed with a threatening letter from the city after being a victim of catastrophe.

BURST OF NOISE

Around 2:30 am Newby was suddenly woken from sleep when he heard a burst of noise, “It sounds like a plane hit the house, I mean, I felt like I hit the ceiling,” Newby said.

A drunk driver in a Honda Civic had plummeted right inside a spare bedroom. “There’s an entire car, right here inside the bedroom,” Newby said.

ENTIRE ROOM WAS CRUNCHED

After realizing what had happened, Newby ran downstairs and went to check on the driver. He tried getting him out of the damaged car, but couldn't make his way through the debris caused by the trash. “Looked like a tornado hit it. I mean, the entire room was just crunched,” Newby said.

Thankfully, Newbby was not injured but his home was trashed. He had a gaping hole in the home and rubble was everywhere. Just 10 days after the wreck occurred, the city of Austin sent a letter to Newby.

VIOLATIONS AND FINES

The city was citing him for violations that resulted from the crash, talk about throwing salt in a wound. “There’s two different violations, one for having a hole in my house and one for having no window," Newby said.

According to the details of the letter, Newby had 30 days to bring his home up to code or risk facing consequences which include a fine of up to $2000 per violation, per day. “It felt tone deaf to me,” Newby said. “I’m in violation for being a victim.”