Witness to suspected DWI crash recounts how he helped save driver, passenger

A vehicle crashed into a house in the 4400 block of Chedder Drive early Sunday

SAN ANTONIO – A family is devastated after a suspected drunk driver crashed into their Northwest Side home Sunday morning.

The crash happened around 2:42 a.m. in the 4400 block of Chedder Drive.

San Antonio police said the car was speeding down Babcock Road when it plowed through two electric poles, tore through a wired fence, broke down a VIA bench and then crashed into a house.

Derek Diaz was sitting outside of his house with a friend when he heard a car zoom down his street. Diaz was shocked and quickly ran up the street to see if anyone survived.

“Once it crashed into that house, we ran. I ran over there,” Diaz said. “It crashed inside the house facing upwards or crushed upwards. "

The passenger was still stuck in the vertical-facing car.

“The sunroof was actually halfway broken. So I had to kind of pry it off, and then she was coming out. So when she did, I was over the car and I picked her up and pulled her out,” Diaz said.

Moments later, Diaz said he heard a scream on the other side of the house.

“When I went, the driver was flown out of the car. All her clothes were torn off and I had to cover her with my jacket. And she, luckily she wasn’t scratched or anything. She was alive, but she was very, very in shock,” Diaz said.

Both women are expected to be okay. They got out just in time because the car soon caught fire, spreading to the house. SAPD arrested the 22-year-old driver for driving while intoxicated.

San Antonio Fire Department said the person who was inside the house also made it out in time.

Diaz said he wants people to drink responsibly.

“Do not drink and drive,” Diaz said.

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About the Authors

Gavin Nesbitt is a photojournalist and video editor who joined KSAT in September 2021. He has traveled across the great state of Texas to film, conduct interviews and edit many major news stories, including the White Settlement church shooting, Hurricane Hanna, 2020 presidential campaigns, Texas border coverage and the Spurs.

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