Garbage Truck Driver Crashes into NJ Home, May Have Sneezed

A garbage truck driver in New Jersey lost control of his truck and crashed into a house, sparking a fire where a mother was getting her three children ready for school on Tuesday, officials said.

The mayor of East Hanover said the driver may have sneezed and lost control, and that a can might also have become stuck under the brake pedal.

The fire gutted a large section of the home, but the parents were able to get everyone out safely, and the dad helped pull the driver out of the truck. Firefighters had to spread trash over the lawn to extinguish the burning debris.

The mother, Sandra Guillaume, told NBC 4 New York that she and the children, twin 4-year-old girls and a 7-year-old boy, had just left the girls' room when the truck slammed into that side of the house.

"The house shook and the next thing we knew, it started smoking," she said.

She said she feels so lucky that the truck narrowly missed her family.

The crash crippled the house so badly that it had to be demolished.

"We will be OK, just have to start over I guess," Guillaume said.

The truck driver hurt his head in the crash and was taken to the hospital, but he's expected to be OK.

St. Rose of Lima Church in East Hanover is accepting donations to help the family.

--Jen Maxfield contributed to this story 

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