A Wareham resident said she and her son are "lucky to be alive" after a car crashed into her home at around 4:45 pm on Wednesday, January 19.

Anni Dean, an occupant of the two family house at 47 Swifts Beach Road, told photographer David Curran that her young son was sitting in the living room of their apartment when the out-of-control vehicle struck a parked truck in front of the house before crashing through the dining room of an adjacent apartment.

The owner of the pick-up truck also narrowly escaped injury as he dove into the back of his truck when he witnessed the vehicle careening towards him. A fire official informed a witness at the scene that the parked truck in front of the house probably saved the child from being injured.

According to Dean, the driver of the out-of-control vehicle, Steve Figueira of Wareham, told police that someone threw snowballs at his vehicle, causing him to lose control and crash into a snow bank before hitting the parked vehicle and crashing through the house. Figueira was charged with a marked lanes violation, according to Wareham Police.

The Wareham Fire Department could not confirm the cause of the accident, but said no one who lived in the damaged section of the house was home at the time.

In the meantime, Wareham's Department of Inspectional Services has issued an emergency "make safe" order on the house. According to Building Inspector Andrew Williams, homeowner Mike Rotchford, who was in Boston at the time of the crash, is certified to repair the damage and is currently working to do so. Rotchford is the owner of Rotchford Home Improvement in Wareham.

Both families are now forced to find alternative places to stay. The day after the incident, Dean said she spent much of her afternoon speaking with her insurance company and simply trying to find out when her electric and gas lines can be safely turned on again.

Visit WarehamVillageSoup.com to see video of the damaged home.