Man dies after crashing in Phoenix apartments

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - It all began when a man failed to stop for a police officer who was attempting to pull him over for a broken headlight.

The driver took off and shortly after the police officer stopped the pursuit, but the driver didn't realize and kept going until he lost control and hit a fire hydrant and fence prior to crashing into an apartment complex where Ediberto Lopez was asleep inside.

"When I woke up, I recall all that fiber glass, part of the wall over me, my bed shift to the side, close to my dresser and water pouring all over me and my first reaction was to scream because I didn't know if I was alive or not," he said.

The driver of the vehicle did not survive.

Lopez says thankfully his 5-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, who sleeps with him, were staying at their grandmother's home.

"I was thinking that they're still there because he always sleeping with me," he said. "He sleeps right next to me in my bed."

Lopez believes a blanket his wife, who passed away from cancer, gave him helped protect him.

"I feel like she was there with me taking care of me so nothing happened, so I won't be gone because my kids still need me," he said.

Though he lost his home, he is grateful to walk away with only a few scratches.

"Pray, thank the Lord that nothing happened to me or my kids," he said. "I'm the only thing that my kids have."

The Phoenix Crisis Response team is now helping the family out.