FIVE HOURS AFTER we finished staining the fence enclosing our backyard, an out-of-control vehicle slammed into it, missing our house by about 15 feet.
We were just wrapping up bible study at a friend’s house across town when my neighbor, Ken, called around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday. It is the first time Ken has ever called me, so I figured something must be up. It was. Or, rather, down. There was, he said, a vehicle crashed in our yard with fence panels down and the cops on site. You might want to come home, he suggested.
Randy and I arrived home to a street flooded with emergency vehicles and personnel and neighbors outdoors watching everything unfold. By then, Willow Street, an arterial roadway through Faribault, had been blocked. Likewise, Tower Place, the side street along our corner property was closed to traffic.
As Randy pulled the van into the driveway, I saw the power pole on the corner was askew, broken. We, and others in the neighborhood, were without power. A power line stretched low across Willow, high enough for most vehicles, but not semis.
Then we walked around our garage to see a black Suburban partially sticking into our yard, one fence panel angled, another demolished, a third scratched. I’ll admit, I was furious. So angry I didn’t even ask about the condition of the driver initially. All I could think of was the fence, the one we’d just finished staining hours earlier in the heat of an unusually hot and humid September day. The 10-panel lattice-topped fence that has stood for some 25 years unscathed.
I asked what happened. Good question, the officer replied. By then I realized a second vehicle, a pick-up truck, was also involved. That sat turned across Willow Street near its intersection with Tower. Finally, I inquired about the drivers. They fled the scene, the policeman said. I asked the officer to check our garage to assure no one was hiding inside. It was empty.
It was a long night. Of talking to police. Of calling our eldest daughter, who lives in Minnesota. Of texting our insurance agent. Of texting our bible study friends. Of talking to the tow truck driver. Of talking to the Xcel Energy crew dispatched to install a new power pole. They labored until 4 a.m. to place the new pole and wires and restore power.
We slept only a few hours given adrenalin and then the noise of the Xcel trucks.
I’m still mad about all of this. I want to know what happened. What occurred between the two vehicles to cause the Suburban to take out a power pole, nearly hitting our bedroom and wiping out part of our fence. A high rate of speed was apparently involved given skid marks and damage to vehicles. Why did the drivers flee the scene?
And who’s going to pay for new fence panels? Install them? And stain them?
In the light of Wednesday morning, my anger has lessened some as I reflect on a “this could have been worse scenario.” The drivers could have been killed. The Suburban could have hit our house, specifically our bedroom, when we were sleeping. Had this happened during the day, when we were staining the fence, well, I don’t really want to think about that.
One witness has the answers. He sat calmly in the front passenger seat of the Suburban. So quiet I didn’t even realize he was there until an officer alerted me. The witness, a Saint Bernard, was coaxed out of the Suburban and loaded into the back of a squad car. If only dogs could speak.
#
NOTE: Nighttime images were taken with cellphones, thus the low quality.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Sorry for your loss and frustration and time lost doing what needs to be done, left to pick up the pieces for 2 highly ignorant persons. Police and courts take a dim view of leaving the scene of an accident, I know of one case =m where the driver was charged with attempted manslaughter as he (or she) hit a pedestrian. If they had stopped it would have been considered a justifiable accident. Victim crossed a dimly lit street wearing all black clothes, The fact that both drivers fled the scene is also not good. My best to you and yours and happy that you will get another edition out!
Thank you, Gunny. We’ll see how this plays out.
Wow! This is some excitement you didn’t need! It’s fortunate neither you nor anyone else were injured. But your poor fence and after all the work you put in staining it. Both drivers fleeing the scene suggests they have something to hide and/or were doing something illegal. You might find out what’s what when you file your insurance claim (which will probably be an adventure in its own right). Glad you’re all OK. 😉
The insurance agent was here this morning and explained the process to me of filing a claim. Now we await the police report. I also need to gather some estimates. But this morning I spent several hours cleaning glass, wood splinters and misc debris from the sidewalk and yard. The damaged fence will have to stay as is for now, on the ground. Yes, I’m frustrated. And mad. Yes, we invested a whole lot of hours in staining this fence and were so happy to finish at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
I’m so very sorry. We’ll pray for volunteers and generous insurance settlement. Always good neighbors have phone numbers! This is certainly a lot of adrenaline and energy needed on other things! God bless.
Thank you for caring.
Oi! I’m so glad you are all OK. I’m hoping the dog is as well.
I haven’t heard that word in a while. Oi! The dog seemed fine, just sitting there inside the Suburban as if nothing had happened.
Oh, just so horrible! I am so glad that you and yours are safe!
It was a bit unnerving. I’ve calmed down now, but I am not looking forward to the insurance claim filing and then replacing the destroyed and damaged fence panels. I look forward, though, to reading the police report.
Oh my goodness Audrey! You just finished staining that fence for it to be attacked like that?!? OOfta!! I’m so glad you are both ok and your house didn’t get hit. I feel so sorry for that poor Saint Bernard, what kind of owners would leave their dog behind?
We had a similar event at the in-laws one time. they lived in an apartment building at a T. A young person came speeding down the road and couldn’t slow down enough to turn left or right. Their vehicle flipped over and slid almost into the window, where me and the children were sleeping on the floor. The instant rage I felt was surprising, as I’m sure it was for you.
What a scary experience, Rose. I’m thankful you were all OK. Yes, I was surprised how upset I was about this, primarily because we had just finished staining the fence five hours earlier. Argh!
Oh, Audrey, I’m so sorry. I’m glad you and Randy are ok! ❤
Thank you, Penny. We’re just mad. But also trying to feel grateful that our house was not hit. Also waiting to get the police report and perhaps learn how this happened and whether the drivers were found and will be charged.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. That you’d just finished working on the fence that was destroyed definitely adds an anxious clutch to the heart. I’m sorry, as well, that the perpetrators weren’t responsible enough to stay, accept responsibility, and apologize.
Thank you, Michelle. It will be interesting to see the police report and learn more information, including whether the drivers were caught. My 9-year-old granddaughter told her mom upon learning about this that “If I were in an accident, I would not leave. Then you would get into even more trouble!” Smart girl, that Izzy. The drivers could learn a thing or ten from this nine-year-old.
oh my goodness! Wow, this situation could have been much worse. This is not the first time this happened to you guys!?
This is the first time our fence has been hit. Year ago a tire came off a car and rolled down the hill, hitting our house, just missing the gas meter. Cars have driven across our yard, but never hit anything. Three vehicles parked across the street have been hit in recent years. A parked car once rolled down the hill and slammed into our neighbor’s house. Living along a busy street and at the bottom of a hill offers lots of interesting happenings.
Hello neighbor,
I live nearby and heard the accident. I was working on homework for my college courses trying to fight my way through organic chemistry problem sets when it sounded like speeding and then the horrible sounds of metal screeching and like something hitting something hard. I remember the last time this happened in almost the same area was about a year ago? When I went to check I stood by my front door a little terrified because it looked bad. I called 911 immediately, the operator didn’t seem interested in what I had to say. She mentioned she already had all the details I provided in a frusterated tone. As I was calling and spectating I saw someone get out of one of the cars and run. I asked if they were okay and they said they were, while they ran towards the direction of the public library. She sounded young, and seemed fine enough to run at a moderate jog. I have vision problems at night (astigmatism) so I wasn’t able to make out too much details in the shadow. Another neighbor did see her in more details. I’m sorry about what happened and all the effort you went to. I can’t believe there was a dog in that car and he was abandoned. Poor thing.
Denise, thank you for sharing this eye witness information. I can only imagine how frightening it was to hear and see this. In many ways, I’m thankful we weren’t home at the time. I’m sorry the dispatcher didn’t seem interested in talking to you. I would think every caller would be treated as if they had valuable information. It seems to me you did.
You are correct in remembering that in late November 2024, a car slammed into the back of a neighbor’s small pickup truck parked in front of his house. Also in recent years, two other parked cars were struck half a block either side of my house on the opposite side of the street. That’s a lot of “incidents.” Perhaps this needs to be discussed at a city level given this is happening frequently along a major street with heavy traffic. I hear and see speeders all the time.
I am awaiting the police report on Tuesday’s crash. I want answers. And I want the responsible party to cover the costs of new fencing. I am thankful the Suburban did not hit our house or injure innocent people. There are many reasons to feel grateful. But I am still mad.
Please stop by sometime and introduce yourself. And best wishes as you continue your college studies. Organic chemistry sounds challenging.
Whoa…that’s scary. Do you have any more information on the driver? I’m glad you and Randy are ok…and that it missed the house. It would be upsetting to just have finished staining the fence and then have part of it destroyed. Bummer!
Still waiting on the police report so we can get moving on fence replacement.
oh, no Audrey. I’m just catching up. glad that both of you, and the people who caused this are okay, but how awful. I sure hope that they are caught and punished appropriately. this was so close and could have had such a worse ending. I can imagine how shook up you both must have been.
I’m hoping the police report will reveal more information on what happened and who the responsible parties are. Yes, this has been frustrating, upsetting and unnerving. But, yes, thankful our house was not hit. I don’t know if the people in the vehicles were injured since they ran away.
Oh Audrey, I am catching up on posts and having some troubles leaving comments through WordPress but hope you can get this one. This sounds like it was quite the event that you could have done without. Fleeing the scene was probably not the best idea and I hope that those involved will be found and held accountable. Of course I am amazed a dog was just sitting there after seeing the damage to the cars and your beautiful fence. Praying for a good resolution for all and so grateful that you and Randy were not hurt. Property, even if frustrating to replace, can be fixed. Having injuries is a much more difficult thing to deal with so thankful to God that you were not hurt.
Still waiting on the police report so we can, hopefully, file an insurance claim then get those fence panels replaced. And stained. It takes three hours to stain one panel. And here I thought we were done with this project. We were…until that Suburban crashed into our fence and yard. Argh.