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Flying minivan lands in the second floor of a Wisconsin home

 
Published July 5, 2018

A minivan flew off a road in Newburg, Wis., and wedged itself into the side of a home early Sunday morning.

Ken Bienlein, 78, was in bed when the Mazda van crashed into the side of the home at about 3 a.m. He was covered in oil from the accident, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which first reported the incident on Thursday.

His wife, Annette Bienlein, 73, was in the bathroom at the time of the accident, according to the Journal Sentinel; her side of the bed was occupied by the wayward minivan.

When she tried to get back into the bedroom, she couldn't open the door because the accident had tilted the frame of the room enough to jam the door, according to the Journal Sentinel.

When deputies arrived, the newspaper reported, the driver woke up and jumped down about 15 feet to safety. Alva Richards, 35, uses marijuana daily for a seizure disorder, the newspaper reported, and was unconscious or in an altered state at the time of the crash.

Richards was arrested on charges of recklessly endangering safety and possession of marijuana. He was freed in lieu of $5,000 bail, the Journal Sentinel reported.

"He seems like a very nice guy. He's got a wife and three kids. I told him just do something good with your life," Annette told the newspaper.