A Concord house that’s been crashed into by wayward cars time and time again now has a wall of protection around it.
Homeowner Frank Dodd said after refusing to allow him to build a protective barrier, the city finally gave him the green light.
"Every 5 feet under that wall, every place where you see something that looks like a post, there’s a drilled pier 4 feet deep with rebar going down into the ground," Dodd said. "That wall is not moving."
Two months ago, Dodd's longtime tenant, Emma Holst, nearly got hit when a car crashed into the living room.
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"I guess I jumped quick enough and jumped off of the couch and got out of the way," Holst said. "I don’t know how. It was a miracle actually."
Dodd said cars have crashed onto the property about a half-dozen times since he’s owned it, but he said the city initially wouldn’t let him build a barrier.
"Before they said that if I built a wall and somebody crashed into it that I’d be liable, and they didn’t want to do it because they didn’t want to be liable," Dodd said.
It wasn’t until NBC Bay Area’s story about the close call in June and a harsh letter from Dodd that the city finally had a change of heart.
"But this time since somebody almost got killed, I think they figured out that whether the crazy reckless driver gets killed or the innocent person in the house gets killed, it’s better to protect the innocent person in the house," Dodd said.
Dodd is still finishing up the repairs from the crash. He said his former tenant was too scared to move back in, but he hopes the wall will give his future tenants a sense of security.
"The house is to be a secure living space for people," Dodd said. "It’s supposed to be a home. It’s got enough steel in it that I don’t think there’s going to be any cars that’ll go through it. The house is secure now."
Dodd said all of the crashes have cost him tens of thousands of dollars. While he thinks the city could do more to help, allowing him to build the wall is a good start.
"All I can say is: 'It’s about time,'" he said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the city but didn't immediately receive a response.
