Berwyn crash: Cars slam into apartment complex, forcing families to evacuate before Christmas
BERWYN, Ill. - A car crash has forced families out of their Berwyn homes just days before Christmas.
Residents at the apartment complex say they’re grateful to be alive. The aftermath shows the area fenced off, windows boarded up and several bricks on the ground.
Four families were displaced as engineers have deemed a portion of the apartment complex uninhabitable.
Around 10 a.m. Thursday, Berwyn police say two cars struck the building at 18th and Harlem causing a partial collapse. Authorities are investigating the incident as a case of road rage.
Witnesses say that before the crash, the vehicles appeared to be traveling 70 miles per hour down Harlem.
Once paramedics arrived, firefighters say both drivers were still in their vehicles.
Some residents were also inside their apartment at the time of the crash. Fortunately, they were uninjured.
"The apartment building that they crashed into had one individual that was sleeping in the apartment. Fortunately, that individual did not get hurt," a fire official said. "Right now we're shoring up the structure. The integrity of the structure is compromised."
One homeowner is now concerned for her safety.
"I'm choosing to leave cause I'm afraid it's gonna tumble," the woman said. "I was in there just now and the lights kept flickering."