Eugene family deals with damage to home following hit

A driver crashes their car into a family's fence and flees leaving thousands of dollars in damages.

Eugene, Ore.-- Neighbors living near River Road say their small community is seeing dangerous drivers after a hit and run crash Monday morning. Mike and Kimberly Tardie are expecting a hefty repair cost following a car that drove through their fence and front yard.

"They busted through our planter box which is, you know, pretty high; this is pretty high, went right through our gate. You can see the trailer in the back, it was butted against the fence," Mike said.

"Mike came back in a said someone ran through our fence and hit everything,” Kimberly said. “Another three feet and they would have hit the gas line that is attached to our house.”

The driver drove through the Tardies' planter and fence narrowly avoiding the house's gas line.

Neighbors living in the Addyson Creek area agree that bad drivers have plagued their neighborhood. With the most recent hit-and-run on August 28, many are concerned about what could happen down the road. Addyson Creek resident Lila Harper said over the past few years she has seen a shift in dangerous drivers in the area.

“It’s nice to know that there are people that we have video or we can reach out to this person and we'll post fliers for you and repost your posts,” Harper said.

“River Road is a busy street, and since we've moved here it’s gotten quite -- I don’t know if it’s just people are moving into the area or into the area people drive very fast and reckless a lot," Kimberly said.

Neighbors agree the area has a serious driver problem, and they also agree to give support for the Tardies as they get their home back to before the crash. Kimberly said because of the support, she feels her family is not alone in this situation.

"It’s nice to know that there are people that we have video or we can reach out to this person and we'll post fliers for you and repost your posts,” Kimberly said. “Without that support it would probably feel like nobody cares but I've realized that there's a lot of people who do care."

The Tardies say they have received a lot of support from neighbors and the community following the hit-and-run.

Eugene police are sifting through surveillance footage as they keep investigating this case. The car in question is believed to be a 2003-2006 KIA Optima with front end damage. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Eugene Police Department's non-emergency line at 541-682-5111.

Noah Chavez joined the KEZI 9 News team in January 2023 as a news reporter. If you have any story ideas for Noah, you can email him at [email protected].