Kamloops family shaken by car crash into apartment

Sep 18, 2017 | 4:58 PM

KAMLOOPS — Early Sunday morning, Michelle Embury and her two children woke up to a nightmare. 

A black BMW crashed into their Brocklehurst apartment while they were sleeping, sending glass and debris flying across the unit. 

“I looked up at the window, and it was just gone, glass everywhere,” Embury said.

The worst of the damage was in three-year-old Micheal-William’s bedroom. 

“He has no idea how he got out of the room. He can’t tell me, he says he didn’t walk, he just said he cried his way out,” Embury said. “We believe that our grandparents, our grandfathers came down as angels and carried him out.” 

Embury and her children were taken to hospital, scraped up, but not seriously injured. 

Embury’s husband, Daniel Benson, was at work during the time of the crash. He lost his job that very day. 

The apartment was severely damaged, forcing the family to stay in a hotel until they can move into a different suite.

Building managers Kelly and Gerri Standbridge say the apartment complex in the 1600 block of Tranquille Rd. had gone up for sale the day before the crash. 

Cleanup work is currently underway.

“There’s obviously asbestos in the walls, so now we’re dealing with that,” Kelly said. “We have special people doing that. So, now it’s just a matter of getting that done, get the building reconstructed, and put it all back together and be done with it.”

The Standbridges say this is the third time in six years that a vehicle has careened into the building. 

“Nobody’s doing 60 down this road,” Gerri said. “This is a race track. In the evenings it’s even worse. The cars are racing, and trucks are racing up and down the road all the time. It’s only lucky that there hasn’t been more accidents on this road.” 

Kelly Standbridge says there is now a plan in place for stronger posts to be installed along the fenceline to prevent future crashes into the building. 

The suspected driver in Sunday’s crash was arrested later that afternoon, and police recommended several charges against the 26-year-old man. 

“He is facing charges under the criminal code of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, and also for breaching a conditional sentence order,” said Cpl. Jodi Shelkie. “As well, he’ll be facing charges under the Motor Vehicle Act.”

Embury and Benson were relieved to hear an arrest had been made, but fear the impact of the horrendous crash will follow their family for years to come. 

“We’ve lost everything,” Embury said. “It’s all destroyed because of this one person who chose to speed and chose to take other peoples’ lives into his hands. I mean, it could have been so much worse and we’re so thankful that my son wasn’t injured.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family get back on their feet.