PLAISTOW — Susan Roix was watching television in her Main Street home last night when a red pickup truck suddenly crashed into the adjacent room.
A red Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck driven by Michael Giardina, 33 of Kingston smashed through the front of Roix's 18th century home at 111 Main St. about 8 p.m. The truck wrecked two of the home's bedroom walls and came to a rest on top of Roix's bed.
Giardina, who was taken by ambulance to Exeter Hospital, has been charged with driving while intoxicated, police said.
Wearing pajamas and a bathrobe, Roix watched as emergency personnel cleaned up the wreckage and a tow truck pulled the Dodge from the home.
Roix said she was feeling tired and about ready to turn in for the night when the accident happened.
"It's very lucky that I was where I was," she said.
The sound of the truck hitting her home was like an earthquake, she said.
Giardina first struck a black Ford F-150 parked in front of Roix's next-door neighbor's home, then careened into the front right corner of her dark brown historic home. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, police Sgt. Scott Anderson said.
Giardina refused a Breathalyzer and sobriety tests, and was subsequently charged with DWI at the hospital, Anderson said. He is to appear in Plaistow District Court on Feb. 1, Anderson said.
Matt Collins, who lives at 104 Main St., heard the crash and ran to see what happened.
"The driver was standing in the house, saying, 'Oh my God,'" Collins said.
Beams were erected to stabilize the house and water pipes were shut off, fire Chief John McArdle said. The truck was leaking fluid, which was cleaned up, McArdle said.
Roix was allowed back into the home to remove valuables, including the urn holding her late husband's ashes. The urn was in the bedroom and just missed being destroyed, she said.
Roix said she had just finished remodeling the inside of the house and recently had the roof replaced. The home was built in 1747, she said.
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