Police: DUI driver launches minivan airborne, plows into home

CLAYMONT, Del. (WPVI) -- Police say the driver of a minivan was under the influence when he lost control, slamming the vehicle into a house in Claymont, Delaware.

It happened around 5:20 p.m. Thursday along the 700 block of Old Darley Road.

Authorities say 34-year-old Jason T. Roane was behind the wheel of a 2006 Kia minivan.

Roane lost control and his vehicle struck a fence, going airborne, before slamming into a home.

Investigators say Roane attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended a short time afterward.

No one was inside the residence at the time but the homeowner Rasheeda McIntosh arrived on scene a half hour later.

She said the minivan slammed into her children's room. She has a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.

McIntosh is a teacher said the family would normally have been home that time but, on this night, they were away because she had training at school.

"This is a wake-up call for him to get some healing or something within his life so something like this doesn't happen again, because could have taken out lives. Not just his own, but his children - if he has any - or my children. I could have been way more devastating than this," said McIntosh.

A building inspector quickly deemed the home to be uninhabitable. By Friday morning, beams were in place to hold up the remains of the home to keep it from falling over.

Authorities say Roane suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Christiana Hospital for treatment.

He also faces a number of charges including driving under the influence of drugs and leaving the scene of a crash.