Unattended municipal vehicle hits, damages Cranberry Twp. home
CRANBERRY TWP — A house on Unionville Road was damaged Monday afternoon when an unattended township municipal vehicle rolled into it.
The pickup truck struck a house around 2 p.m. at 3260 Unionville Road, crashing through an outside wall into the home’s interior and taking out one of four decorative white pillars.
Homeowner Robert Paffenroth said he and his wife, Nancy, were in the adjoining family room when the vehicle struck. He reported hearing a loud bang followed by his wife’s scream.
“She screamed, ‘Oh my God!’” he said. “She could have screamed, ‘duck,’ or something.”
No injuries were reported.
Paffenroth said the truck was stopped by a staircase in the home’s foyer.
“It blew stuff all the way through the dining room area,” he said.
After calling 911, Paffenroth was surprised to discover that there was no one in the vehicle. He said a township municipal worker immediately came down the hill to the scene and that the truck, which was parked above the house on Unionville Road, had likely slipped gears.
The Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, Fire Police, Police Department, EMS and municipal workers all responded.
Crews removed the truck around 2:40 p.m. and were working to shore up the opening and clear debris.
Neighbor Benny Esparra said he heard the crash and sprinted to the house.
“I heard a big bang, and immediately my heart dropped,” Esparra said.
The Paffenroths are “sweet people” and good neighbors, according to Esparra. He said he had offered them a place to stay in his home, but Paffenroth declined, suggesting that they would instead stay in the basement of their home.
No injuries were reported, and township manager Dan Santoro said the incident is under investigation.
