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Family hoping to move in on time after SUV crashes into their home

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Action News Jax has talked to the family that was scheduled to move into a home that was damaged by a teen driver on Friday night.

The SUV driven by the teen crashed into a fence, went into the back of the house and ended up in the kitchen. Luckily, the house off Durbin Creek Boulevard was vacant.

Amanda Owen said she and her family are set to move into their new home next month. Her family is relocating from North Carolina in a few weeks.

Owen said they first found out about what happened through their realtor. After seeing pictures and video online of the damage, she said she is worried the house won’t be ready in time.

Owen said she’s thankful no one was hurt.

“First and foremost we are just glad that everyone is OK and of course we're not down there because it could have been very bad, you know the driver’s safe and that it happened in a house that is vacant,” Owen said.

Neighbors said a teenager who was driving for the first time crashed into the home and this isn’t the first time something like this has happened along this road.

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A few blocks down, a home was smashed into about three years ago, causing $5,000 in damage.

“When I got into my bedroom, the back of a vehicle was in my room next to my bed and had moved my nightstand about 3 feet and had come in next to where I had been laying,” said Jill Benavides.

Benavides said that speeding is a major problem on Durbin Creek Boulevard and has been for years and she always worries it will happen again.

“I mean, the first two or three months after they hit our house, we were very uncomfortable going to sleep,” Benavides said.

Benavides also said that the speed limit along the road is 25 miles per hour and people usually go 50. She said there are no stop signs or speed bumps.

Owens said she and her family hope that everything will be handled quickly with the insurance company so they can move in next month.