Haysville family homeless after shooting, crash
HAYSVILLE, Kan. (KSNW) -- Eric Ebert heard shots ring out early Friday morning, followed by a loud bang, not knowing a car had just taken out a tree in his yard and crashed into his home.
"Panic, I thought my mom was dead as soon as I realized what happened," says Ebert.
Glass, debris, and car parts now litter their home. Rushing to get his mother to safety, Ebert realized the car's driver was lying in his yard.
"Until we were sitting there with Red Cross, and then all of the sudden she busted into tears and started crying, it finally hit her what happened, and how long this is going to be effecting our lives," says Ebert.
Recalling those near-death moments, Ebert's mother, Debra Zimmerman, says she's lucky to be alive.
"One of the boards actually went through, right over my chest, and stabbed into my closet door," says Zimmerman.
Eight years of memories now gone. Debra says the house has been deemed uninhabitable by the insurance company, and they are left without a place to live.
"Haven't stopped to let myself think about it, because the one time I did, I about started crying, because I don't know what to do," says Zimmerman.
Thankful to be alive, but worried about the future.
"Things are already tough for everybody right now, but it's going to take months to try and clear up and get things normal again," says Ebert. "It's going to be hard. We've never been through anything like this."
The family says their insurance company is putting them up in a hotel for the week, but they do not know what their long-term solution will be.
A GoFundMe has been established to assist the family with recovery efforts.