A Detroit Lions fan credits the NFL franchise with saving his life after a car blitzed through his home and into the living room area where he was watching the game before the team called a timeout.
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Michael Pingel of Chesterfield Township, Michigan, said he was watching the Lions play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, when a vehicle sped through his home's exterior and into the living room. Pingel detailed the wild incident to local news station WDIV the next morning.
"It was the end of the game. [The Lions] were marching down for the field goal," Pingel recalled. "And they called time out. I got up from the couch and started walking into the kitchen — and a car came through."
He added that he didn't realize how close he was to a deadlier outcome until he turned around.
"All I saw was orange. And I thought the house was on fire or something, but it was the running lights from the car," he said. "I'm lucky I still wasn't on the couch."
Michigan Residents Recall Wild Crash During Lions Game
Benjamin Bebkoan, Pingel's next-door neighbor, says he was standing outside getting fresh air when the crash happened.
"I hear the tire squealing. And as soon as I went like this, he's coming through the fence. It was that fast. I'm still blown away," Bebkoan said. "It's unbelievable. I cannot emphasize it enough, how quickly and fast it happened. It's unreal."
Pingel says four minors exited the vehicle after the crash, claiming someone had cut them off.
One person was trapped inside the car and later transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.
WDIV showed the aftermath of the bizarre crash, including wreckage of a fence owned by Pingel's neighbor and car parts scattered across the yard.
Pringel was unharmed, but is asking for help locating his missing cat, who may have scurried off after the unexpected crash.
"I don't know what happened to him during the mess," he said, adding that he hopes the cat is hiding somewhere nearby.
For those keeping score at home, the Lions defeated the rival Packers 20-17 at Ford Field on a game-winning field goal.
