8-year-old crashes truck into house

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Officials are charging a father with child endangerment after police said he let his 8-year-old daughter drive his truck when she crashed into an Austin house, causing $22,000 in home damages. Police said Rodrick Conely, 41, lied to police and said he was driving at the time.

Willie Simmons owns the home at 1008 Glen Oaks Drive, and said he and his wife were spending a normal afternoon at home when the truck came slamming through the front of the house.

"Had I been sitting at that desk I would have got demolished," said Willie Simmons.

Simmons said he got up from his desk just a minute before a truck, driven by an eight year old little girl slammed into his house.

"The next thing I know before I came out of the bedroom boom crash I see glass flying everywhere," said Simmons. "When we tried to get out we couldn't get out the front door because all the brick that was here was in front of the house."

By the time the police arrived, police said Conely had gotten into the driver's seat and claimed he lost control of the truck.

"Two of the children were hurt just minor cuts but they were hurt and they didn't have seat belts on," said Sergeant Keith Bazzle, Austin Police Department.

However, it was not until children ages three, eight and 11 returned home from their visitation with Conely and told their mother what happened that police learned the level of danger the kids were in.

There was another male adult in the truck during the Oct. 18 accident, according to police.

Police received a call on Oct. 23 from the mother of the three children involved in the crash saying that her 8-year-old daughter was driving the truck. The mother said her daughter, who was driving, was left with a cut on her arm and chest discomfort after the wreck.

The mother also said when she asked her 11-year-old son about the crash that he told her his little sister had been driving.

A child protection worker interviewed the 8-year-old girl who, admitted her father allowed her to drive. Police said the girl also said while driving, she accidentally pushed the accelerator instead of the brake when she smashed into the home.

Damages were paid for by homeowners insurance, according to police. Conely reportedly did not have insurance.

"The mother of the child actually contacted the police and alerted us that it was actually her daughter that was driving the vehicle," said Sgt. Bazzle.

While Simmons is grateful no one was seriously hurt, he's still wondering why a father would put his children in a position to do so much damage to a stranger's home.

"It put us in a situation where we had to borrow water get water to bathe with," said Simmons.