CLEBURNE, Texas — James Emery, of Cleburne, is counting his blessings after his birthday turned into the most horrifying day of his life, again. He got an unexpected visitor who did not come to the front door.
"As soon as it came through the wall, I knew exactly what happened," said Emery.
For his 67th birthday, he invited family friend Helen over to get a piece of his upside-down pineapple cake. After years of getting a German chocolate cake for his birthday, his daughter Tanya Emery surprised him with a different birthday cake -- a pineapple upside-down cake like his late wife used to make.
But shortly after sharing it with his family friend, he got a birthday surprise nobody would ever want.
"It wasn't 10 minutes -- that man drove through the house and had me pinned against the wall," said Emery.
The driver, according to Emery, reportedly told police his brakes failed on his pickup truck. They shared outside photos of the damage with WFAA's Scoop Jefferson, which showed two large openings covered with sheet metal.
When Emery's daughter Tanya gave WFAA a look at the damage inside the home, she couldn't hold back the tears. She explained it's even harder not to cry seeing her father not only lose his home, but more importantly, his peace of mind. She told WFAA Emery doesn't feel comfortable standing alone inside the house he raised her in.
"This has been my family home since I was a child. I don't think they can fix it this time," said Tanya.
Tanya said the impact of the crash forced her childhood home to move about two-feet off its foundation. While standing inside the house, you can look down at the floorboard and see daylight from outside. The house is clearly not safe to live in now.
Her father has spent nights with relatives but is worried about his home and decided to also sleep outside in his truck.
The Emery family has a message for people speeding down the stretch of road outside his home, especially because this isn't the first time an incident like this has happened.
"Just think about other people," Tanya said. "What you're doing to these other people."
The Emery's told WFAA that when they tried to get more information from the Cleburne Police Department about the crash and the driver who struck the house, they were told that it was still under investigation. They are hoping the driver is held accountable because James Emery's life has been turned upside down.
The Red Cross assisted Emery with a hotel voucher earlier this month. Now, he is trying to just get his life back to normal as soon as possible.
Family and friends also started a fundraiser to help replace damaged furniture, clothing and what insurance won't cover. People wanting to help can make a donation at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/not-driving-safe.
No matter what, Emery is counting his blessings -- despite his house getting struck by a vehicle a second time. He is grateful, especially since he would have normally had one of his grandsons at the house, and would have likely been sitting on the same couch that was damaged in the incident. Still, the 67-year-old is looking forward to his next birthday -- believing that God spared his life yet another time.
"I don't know. I guess Jesus loves me," said Emery.
Now, he and his family hope city officials will consider adding speed bumps or some other type of traffic control in their neighborhood to slow drivers down. They fear people speeding near their home will result in something much worse than structural damage.