NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) – A sleeping New Orleans teenager was seriously injured when a suspected drunk driver lost control of an SUV and crashed into the bedroom of a home, authorities said.
The accident occurred around 4:02 a.m. Sunday in a house on the corner of Cerise Avenue and Chef Menteur Highway.
“All we heard was, ‘Stop! Stop!’ They said, ‘Get out of the car! Get out of the car!'” said a younger cousin who was at home at the time of the accident.
Family members identified the injured teenager as 15-year-old Jamal Jackson, a 10th-grader at Edna Karr High School, WVUE reported.
Jackson’s family told WVUE that he was active in football, band and the school’s drill team.
The extent of Jackson’s injuries was initially unclear. His family said they were not allowed to visit him in intensive care, but his grandmother said Jackson is currently on a ventilator to assist with his breathing.
Police identified the driver of the SUV as 53-year-old Cedrick Marshall.
Authorities said Marshall remained at the scene of the accident and was arrested for allegedly failing a breathalyzer test.
“They took him out of the car and handcuffed him,” said Jackson’s grandmother, Alicia Patterson. “I tried to get my baby. I tried to help them get him out from under the car.”
Marshall is being treated at the hospital for possible injuries, but if released into police custody he would face charges of first-degree assault and reckless driving.
No other residents of the house were injured, police said.
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