2 injured after car and stoplight slam into Santa Clara home

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- A man was sitting in the living room with his little boy when a car smashed into his house and a stoplight pole came barreling through the window.

Police say a BMW SUV went through a red light just after 10:30 Thursday night. The vehicle then hit another car, sheared off a traffic signal pole and crashed into the home Lafayette Street and Lewis Street in Santa Clara.

"It was like a bomb going off right outside. Because all we knew was our window was flying at us," said Santa Clara resident Patrick Paul.

Patrick Paul was in the living room with his wife, 5-year-old son and friend, Matt Laplaca.

"So when we went back in we saw that the couch had moved away from the wall because where the pole came in was exactly where I was sitting. So we came back in and that was me, where the light pole came into the building," said Laplaca.

Matt and Patrick both went to the hospital with minor injuries to get patched up after they were cut by glass. Matt's wife and son are okay. The man police say was behind the wheel of the BMW, 21-year-old Santa Clara resident Francisco Cortezcruz, was caught by officers walking away from the scene. He was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and felony hit-and-run.

A passenger in Cortezcruz's car was also arrested on a drunk in public charge.

"I'm just upset with the fact that this could've ended with a fatality tonight. That would have just been horrific," said Patrick.

The Paul family has been renting this home for two and a half years. They say something like this has never happened before, but they were warned when they moved in that cars have crashed into the yard. That's why they don't let their son play out front.

"Hopefully this is our once in a million thing that happens to you," said Patrick.

The Patrick family says they're going to stay with their friend Matt, until everything here can be cleaned up.