A 17-year-old girl crashed her SUV into a Tampa house late Wednesday night due to texting and driving.
Around 10:30 p.m., deputies responded to a call of a vehicle into a home at 7801 Winston Lane in Town 'n' Country. Authorities say no one was inside the one-story block house at the time of the crash.
The 17-year-old, Michelle Ramirez-Vasquez who is a Largo High School senior, said she wanted to let the public know, the young people, to obviously not drive without permission and definitely don't text and drive.
A restoration company representative said only Ramirez-Vasquez was injured in the crash. The Sheriff's Office said she received minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.
Deputies told ABC Action News that the teen was distracted by her cell phone and ran a stop sign. They also said that the teen only had her learner's permit.
"It sounded like metal squealing, like a loud impact. Boom!" said Maria Maturana, a neighbor who saw the crash.
Code Enforcement ordered the home vacated.
"The vehicle is going to stay where it is at until someone can come out and stabilize the home," said Robin Caton, with the Hillsborough County Consumer and Veterans Services. "There's various walls inside, and trusses and stuff. Right now if we remove the vehicle there's a greater chance that we'll cause more damage removing the vehicle before we do that."
The SUV went through the home's front wall. Caton says it will need to be maneuvered up and over the destroyed wall to get it out.
The renter declined help from the Red Cross and is staying with friends.
