A Cal Poly student crashed a vehicle into the side of an apartment building shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, according to a San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) press release. Sergeant Brian Amoroso said two apartments were damaged and judged uninhabitable by city inspectors until reinforcements can be made.
Mike Riefler, a journalism senior, was driving west from Cal Poly down Foothill Blvd when he lost control of his Ford Explorer, according to the press release.
Riefler then crashed into a building located at 1301 Foothill Blvd., a portion of the Foothill Garden Apartments.
Business administration freshman Travis Webb witnessed the accident from a front porch. Webb said he heard the crash before he saw it because Riefler “was going really fast.”
“He skidded to the side, tried to correct himself and skidded on the other side,” Webb said. “He tried to correct himself again, but then he went over the hill and into the house.”
Webb said he and a group of friends ran to the car to help after seeing the crash.
“All we thought was, ‘This guy is really messed up,’” Webb said. “We were really surprised that he could walk away from that.”
Riefler was trapped in the vehicle for a short while until the San Luis Obispo Fire Department arrived and used extrication equipment to help get him out, Amoroso said.
Riefler sustained only minor injuries and was treated and released at the scene. Amoroso said “neither drugs nor alcohol were involved” in the accident.