By MONROE ROARK
Staff Writer

A Fayetteville family got a surprise visitor in its living room Friday evening — a dump truck.

According to reports, a man working in the Magnolia Ridge subdivision climbed into a truck belonging to Graystone Grading Inc. After starting it up, he got out for a moment, and when he turned around, he could only watch helplessly at it rolled down Rocky Knoll Trail out of control.

The truck rumbled across Rock Hill Drive and into the front yard of a home there, but it didn't stop in the yard, going straight through the front wall. Once the truck got far enough inside the house, its weight caused it to plummet through the floor and into the basement.

Fayetteville Fire Department personnel were called and responded at about 5:50 p.m. Friday, according to Chief Alan Jones. Firefighters thought they were responding to a gas leak outside a building, only to arrive and find where the truck “hit home,” so to speak.

Three people were at home at the time of the accident, and amazingly, none were injured. The family cat was missing for a few hours, but a search found the animal perched on a window in the basement, seemingly unaffected by the ordeal.

Firefighters secured the home's utilities and stayed on the scene because of possible fire hazards due to the fact that the truck's engine was still running. A unit from Fayette Wrecker came and pulled the truck out with no additional damage to the house, Jones said.

The house was roped off and a city engineer inspected the premises before repair work began.

No citations have been issued in relation to the accident, according to Lt. Tom Kirkbride of the Fayetteville Police Department.