A family of six from Milford is still displaced from their home after an alleged drunk driver crashed into it back in November, pushing their home off its foundation.
It was Nov. 18 around 11 p.m. when police said the driver, Michael Murray, 62, crashed into the Pond Point Avenue home, causing “extensive damage.” He was taken to the hospital where he was treated, officials said, and it was later determined he was intoxicated.
Murray turned himself into Milford police last week and was charged with operation under the influence of alcohol and failure to drive right. He posted a $500 bond and will be in court next month.
For the family who lived in the home for 24 years, it feels like a never-ending nightmare.
“[It] completely turned our lives upside down,” Paul Clarizio said.
The damage is still visible from outside the home and inside, the walls are cracked, and ceilings are falling. An “unfit for occupancy” sign is taped to the front doors.
“The house slid about a foot off the foundation, and then tilted to the left,” Clarizio said.
The family, with four children and two dogs, spent weeks at a local hotel, and has been renting a home since the start of the new year. They don’t know when they’ll be able to move back in.
They said they weren’t surprised when the driver hit their home, as it’s the fourth time someone has crashed into their yard.
“Between 2011 and 2018, we had three come into our property, and they drove right into our parked cars,” Clarizio said.
After the third crash, he said he asked the city to install a guardrail. The city did a traffic study, he said, and chose not to install one. They did add reflective signs.
“Those aren’t going to stop these people. They’re under the influence,” Carol Clarizio said. “We truly feel it was preventable, we truly feel it was foreseeable.”
The family said they haven’t received much response from the city by way of help.
“Nothing from the city,” Carol said, “nothing, and you add to it the insurance company’s doing this to us. They’re telling us they only cover us till Nov. 24, 2024, but they haven’t made a decision on whether to demolish the house, which is what we’d really like because of the way the foundation was damaged.”
“We’re feeling on all sides – city, insurance company – we just feel like we’re not getting any support from really any of the parties that really need to help us,” Paul said.
It’s another ordeal added to their already full plate. The couple has an autistic and special needs daughter, and three sons who struggle with mental health.
“It’s like when you have a glass of water and it’s almost at the top and someone pours more in. That’s what I’m feeling,” Carol said.
They fear that when they do move back, that this will just happen again.
“My husband had asked them, does someone need to get killed? Unfortunately, that’s what it feels like,” Carol said.
NBC Connecticut did reach out to the city of Milford for comment, but did not hear back.