Family, neighbors plead for traffic calming measures after car crashes into home northwest of Denver

Rubble is all that remains of part of a home after a car crashed through the garage of a house in Northglenn. The home is on Irma Drive between Washington and York streets.

Neighbors said they are desperate for drivers to pay attention and slow down in their community. People who live in that neighborhood told CBS News Colorado's Gabriela Vidal that even when police responded to the crash into the home, officers were forced to display their flashing lights to get speeding drivers to slow down. 

Northglenn resident Karen Kreuger could not have imagined the sight she would be coming home to Tuesday night.

"I mean just in shock," said Kreuger. "We're dealing with the loss of my grandfather on top of all of this."

Part of her home is now destroyed after a car barreled through the intersection of Irma and Malley drives just after 8 p.m. Tuesday.

"Just went completely through the garage and into the backyard," said Kreuger.

Krueger was out for dinner at the time the incident happened, while her roommate was inside the home but on the opposite side of where the car went through.

"My roommate was here, and she ended up calling me saying she thought the house was on fire and car went through," said Kreuger.

Northglenn police said no one was injured in the crash. The driver was initially taken into custody following the incident.

"It's been a hassle; they red-tagged the house so we can't go in there," said Kreuger.

This is not the first time a car has crashed into this home on Irma Drive. Krueger and other people living in the neighborhood tell CBS Colorado that a similar incident happened roughly 15 years ago when a car went through one of the bedrooms inside the home, prompting the previous owner to put up a steel barrier around the house.

That, however, did not protect Kreuger's home today, which she's lived in for the last 10 years.

"I figured that's a pretty big barrier," said Kreuger. "The fact that he didn't hit it is pretty shocking."

Despite traffic calming mitigation efforts, such as increased policing and a placard placed less than a year ago warning drivers they could be charged double if they speed through this intersection, residents say they're still concerned about safety here.

"No one respects the speed limit, that's the problem we have here, and we have three schools around here," said Juan Calderon, who lives in the neighborhood.

Calderon, like many others who spoke with CBS Colorado, wants to see things like speed bumps implemented near the intersection to help control traffic.

"I could sit out here and watch people all day long blowing the stop signs, speeding, really not caring," said Kreuger.

Northglenn police say they do have increased patrols here as it is considered one of the city's four safety-sensitive zones, but residents worry if that will be enough to prevent something like this from happening again.

"There's lots of kids. There are animals. There are people here. Slow down," said Kreuger.

At this time, police say they cannot confirm if the person who drove through the home was under the influence. The person has been released from custody since the incident. Northglenn police say they say there are other circumstances surrounding the crash that are still under investigation.