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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) – A Cleveland Heights man no longer feels safe at home and is begging the city for help after another vehicle comes crashing into his property late at night.

It started around 11:23 p.m. Tuesday as a Cleveland Heights police officer attempted to stop a speeding 2008 GMC Acadia on South Taylor Road, near Cedar.

The vehicle took off and officers did not initiate a pursuit.

A short time later, witnesses reported seeing the still speeding vehicle miss the turn at Fairmount Boulevard and plow right into John Gall’s garage.

The SUV hit with such force that it obliterated Gall’s Subaru Forester and knocked the garage off its foundation, collapsing the roof.

The 34-year-old male driver had to be extricated. Gall called 911 to report the accident.

While the driver was taken to the hospital, police found “a firearm, unknown pills and a scale” inside the SUV.

A very distressed Gall told FOX 8 at the scene that the wreckage extended all the way into his backyard, caused thousands of dollars in damages and has left him now without a car.

To make matters worse, Gall had just recently repaired damage to the front of his home after a car fleeing from police plowed into it in November 2021.

“It’s a disaster, everything is… I can’t go in there. It’s unstable. They don’t want me back in the house,” Gall said at the time.

His next door neighbor has also had cars miss the turn and hit their house.

Gall says he’s been asking the city for a guardrail.

Out of frustration, he even put up a sign at the “T” stop in front of his house that says “where is my guardrail?”

A spokesperson sent a statement to FOX 8 that said, in part:

“The City of Cleveland Heights shares Mr. Gall’s concerns about the repeated accidents at his home. City representatives have met with him repeatedly during the last year to find ways to prevent or minimize the damage from future incidents.”

As for the “Where’s my guardrail?” sign, they said, “Mr. Gall has been aware for months that Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) regulations prevent the City from granting his request that it install a short guardrail in front of his home. The City has presented Mr. Gall with other options that might help shield his home from an oncoming vehicle, including installing—at the City’s expense—large stones or bollards along the front edge of his property. Mr. Gall has so far rejected all of the City’s proposed solutions.”

But after half a dozen accidents on his property, Gall thinks the only way to really prevent one from happening again is to change the traffic pattern perpendicular stop. 

He has a meeting scheduled with city leaders for Thursday morning.

The most recent accident remains under investigation and potential charges are pending against the driver.

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