DUII Driver Jailed After Plowing Into NE Bend Home

A Bend woman who?d been arrested on a DUII charge less than 48 hours earlier crashed her car into a northeast Bend home Monday night, plowing through the living room and into the kitchen, but a woman and her two girls inside escaped serious injuries, authorities said.

The crash, which neighbors first thought could have been an explosion, occurred shortly after 10 p.m. at 2678 NE Moonlight Drive, said Bend police Officer Liz Lawrence. A natural gas leak was evident from the strong smell of gas, which prompted evacuations of nearby homes for a time, until the gas and power could be shut off to cut the risk of ignition.

Officers arrived to find a 1998 Acura had plowed through the front of the home, through the living room and into the kitchen, Lawrence said.

The driver, identified as Tamara Lea Julian, 44, of Bend, was trapped in her car. After Bend fire crews removed her from the car, she was able to walk out on her own and was taken to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend for treatment of minor injuries.

Sarah Clark, 38, told police she was sitting on the couch in the living room when the car crashed inside. She had minor injuries, and one of her two daughters also received minor injuries while being pulled from the debris in the home, Lawrence said.

An investigation determined that Julian was driving under the influence of drugs (a controlled substance), Lawrence said. She previously had been arrested on the same charge around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night, the officer added.

After going to the hospital for treatment, the driver was lodged in the Deschutes County Jail in Bend on charges of DUII (controlled substance), reckless driving, three counts of recklessly endangering, two counts of third-degree assault and second-degree criminal mischief. She remained jailed Tuesday on $25,000 bail.

Fire and police crews reaching the home, located on a cul de sac, confirmed a strong smell of natural gas, and they rushed to turn off both gas and power lines to the home, to prevent any possible ignition. Adding to their concern was a report of a wood stove burning in the house.

Houses north of the structure on Rockridge were evacuated, as well as homes beside the one that was hit.

Several callers to 911 reported it as not a crash, but a blast.

“Neighbors weren’t sure if it was a bomb or an explosion or what,” said Bend police Sgt. Nick Parker.

Many neighbors were stunned by what they heard and then saw.

“The car is all the way inside of the house,” said Barbara Krunmwiede. “It’s smashed through walls and it’s just… the car is absolutely inside the house.”