LUBBOCK, Texas – A West Lubbock homeowner is counting her blessings after a harrowing incident late Thursday night. A Ford pickup truck, hauling a horse trailer, careened into her residence, leaving significant damage in its wake but miraculously sparing the homeowner any serious injuries.
Josie Salvantez was in her kitchen, tidying up after her great-grandchild’s recent birthday celebration, when the unexpected happened. The truck slammed into her living room, narrowly missing her. “I thought this was it for me,” Salvantez recounted, still shaken by the event. “I never imagined it would be a truck.”
Salvantez described hearing a deafening crash, followed by a chaotic scene of debris. “I heard a loud crash and saw debris—sheetrock and insulation—falling around me,” she said. “The next thing I saw was this truck and horses in a big trailer.”
Trapped initially by the wreckage, Salvantez managed to find an escape route. “I was yelling for help, but nobody could hear me,” she said. “Finally, I saw this gap and I just got out.”
The accident occurred near the intersection of 13th Street and Inler Avenue. According to Salvantez, the driver explained he was trying to avoid hitting another vehicle. “There was a car in front of him, and he tried to pass it,” she explained. “When he turned into the street, he lost control.”
Lubbock Fire Rescue arrived promptly, finding the driver and the horses safe. However, the immediate priority was stabilizing the severely damaged structure. “We go to a lot of vehicle versus building incidents, but not a one-ton truck with a 30-foot horse trailer attached,” said Jon Blair, a Lubbock Fire Rescue lieutenant.
Firefighters worked meticulously to secure the building before removing both the truck and the trailer. “We had to secure the building around the truck to make sure it wouldn’t collapse when we moved it,” Blair stated.
The interior of Salvantez’s home suffered extensive damage. “My table was right here, but now it’s gone. It ended up at the back door,” she said, pointing out the extent of the destruction. “My washer and dryer are destroyed, and everything else — lamps, sofa, recliner — just gone.”
Despite the substantial loss of her possessions, Salvantez is thankful to have survived. “I can’t replace everything, my pictures, my memories,” she said. “It’s hard to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
While her bedroom remained relatively intact, the impact caused the pipes to burst, leading to water damage throughout the interior. Salvantez is currently staying with family and is working with her insurance company to assess the situation and plan for the future. Lubbock Fire Rescue’s swift response and careful handling of the scene prevented further collapse of the home, averting a potentially catastrophic outcome.
