Sherry Warner was in the midst of making lunch Friday when a car crashed through the rear wall of her kitchen/dining room.
"Just shocked," she said of her reaction.
Warner, who was not hurt, and her husband, Don, operate Warner's Home for the Aged at 1100 14th Ave., where they care for 16 residents.
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(Mirror photo by J.D. Cavrich)
Police said driver Jessie Guerin “claims she blacked out” before crashing into a house at 1100 14th Ave. Friday afternoon.
"I was in the front making beds," aide Valerie Eggerstorfer said. She knew Sherry Warner was in the kitchen getting lunch ready.
"When I heard the crash, I thought she dropped a stack of dishes," Eggerstorfer said. "I went running back toward the kitchen. ... There were broken dishes, but there was more, too."
City police said Friday that driver Jessie Guerin, no address available, lost control of her vehicle while driving on 11th Street toward downtown Altoona.
"She claims she blacked out," Sgt. William Gibbons said.
At the intersection of 14th Avenue, Guerin's vehicle left the street and went through the yard and fence at the rear of the property, then into the large, two-story brick structure, police said. The crash knocked studs and construction materials into the kitchen/dining area and left the wall with cracks in the mortar. A damage estimate was not available.
"It's lucky no one was hurt," Altoona Fire Chief Reynold D. Santone Jr. said.
Guerin had three children in the four-door Mazda Protege she was driving. Santone said the driver and one child went to the hospital to be checked.
While firefighters and a tow truck driver discussed how to pull the car away from the building, Sherry Warner made alternative plans for lunch.
''We're having pizza,'' she said.
The incident occurred 11 blocks away from the site of Wednesday morning's crash. While attempting to flee police, Frank A. Thompson, 45, Altoona, crashed his vehicle into a house at 2501 11th St. No one inside the house was injured.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.
