Crash wrecks house

A Costa Mesa woman drove her car through a neighbor’s garage, leaving the home uninhabitable, and hit a parked car Thursday afternoon when she accidentally accelerated instead of hitting the brake, police said.

No one was injured, but the crash left a neighbor’s house structurally unsound; firefighters shored up the house with wooden support beams to prevent the roof from crashing down.

The driver, 85-year-old Lois Mais, was cited for unsafe backing, and driving at an unsafe speed, said officer Gerry Stukkie of the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Police said Mais was backing out of her driveway on Lorenzo Avenue when she hit the gas pedal and sped across the street, propelling her Lexus through a neighbor’s garage door.

The car took out one side of the garage and smashed into several appliances. The impact severed the house’s gas, water and electricity lines, officials said.

After Mais drove through the garage, she panicked and put the car in drive, sending her back across the street and into a car, Stukkie said.

Mais’ car hit a Nissan Altima parked across the street; the Nissan was pushed into a nearby Ford Expedition.

Police estimate that Mais was driving between 20 mph and 30 mph when she hit the house and the car. Tire marks on the neighbor’s grass showed that Mais was accelerating enough to make the wheels spin, Stukkie said.

“Her speed was to the point where she couldn’t control the car,” Stukkie said.

A city building inspector yellow-tagged the damaged home. It’s designated only for restricted use because of instability, said city building inspector Pete Tenace.

No one is allowed inside the garage area, where the most damage occurred, Tenace said. It could take weeks before the utility connections are restored, he added.

Despite losing half her home, the homeowner worked alongside firefighters to clean up the mess Thursday.

“She’s got a good attitude,” said Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Eric Johnson.

Firefighters used the crash as an educational training opportunity. It a chance for them to practice installing support beams as they would in an earthquake or another disaster, Johnson said.