Pontiac crashes into porch

Pontiac crashes into porch

Nov. 23, 2000

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

A red Pontiac ended up on the front porch of a house in Cortez on Tuesday afternoon.

A PONTIAC sits where it came to rest on the porch at 41 S. Maple St. in Cortez Tuesday. The car’s driver, Eric Benally, was cited for reckless driving in the incident.

At 2:30 p.m., the car’s 18-year-old driver, Eric Benally, was driving north on South Maple when he left the west side of the roadway and struck the curb, according to the police report.

His car continued north, collided with a sign, and then hit another sign on the west side of the street, according to the report.

The Pontiac then drove through a wooden fence where it eventually stopped on the front porch of 41 S. Maple, on the corner of First and Maple.

Benally was charged with reckless driving.

The police report stated that when the officer asked Benally how fast he was driving he said "30, but I guess I could have been going 40 or so." There were no other passengers in the car.

The owner of the rental home, Dennis Retherford, said Benally told him that he "didn’t know how it happened."

Retherford said that the only structural damage to the property was the porch and the porch’s awning. The renters were not home at the time of the accident, but some of their personal property on the porch was damaged.

A contractor will be assessing the property damage from the accident this week.