All Is Good After Driver Plows Into Melrose Home

MELROSE, MA — Paul Mastronardi was just a couple days from finishing some work on his front porch. Now, after a driver who said he passed out behind the wheel crashed into - and we mean into - his home, he's back to "ground zero."

"I'm definitely going to need a new door," said Mastronardi, standing in what was left of the foyer of his home, surrounded by broken glass, wood, and several news cameras.

No one was injured when a car went flew into Mastronardi's front porch. Louis, who declined to give his last name, said he blacked out behind the wheel after getting blood drawn from Melrose-Wakefield Hospital. He said he didn't remember anything.

"I just ran out of the car" when he came to, the 25-year-old said. He was checked out on scene by medics, but appeared OK. "I'm shaken up."

Police did not charge Louis with anything, and he left after some time at the scene.

Mastronardi, who reacted as if someone had thrown a Hot Wheels into his front porch rather than a sedan, also appeared OK. He appeared grateful no one was home at the time - and that the sun was shining.

"It ain't raining, it ain't snowing," he told Patch. "Nothing's getting worse."

Louis said he apologized to the Mastronardi. The two later went to the back of the house, where things apparently went very well.

"He's good, he's good, nice guy," Mastronardi said.

Mastronardi said he got a call while in South Boston that someone drove into his house.

"I figured someone hit the railing, they bent my railing," he said. "Little did I know, there's a car inside the house!"

He came back to this:

Mastronardi invited reporters inside his home to survey the damage. There, he lamented a broken radio that was almost 100 years old, a family heirloom that had been smashed "into a thousand pieces," and a grandfather clock that took some scratches.

"The foyer is in disarray," he told reporters. "Front porch, front door, it's gonna be all new from here. I hope the roof don't fall in."

How exactly the crash occurred is still a bit of a question. It appears Louis was driving toward East Emerson on Rowe when he went over a 'No Parking' sign, possibly in between a crosswalk and street sign, and must have narrowly avoided a small tree in front of the home before getting airborne.

Police and fire were at the scene where a crowd of onlookers continued to grow. East Emerson was shut off from Rowe to Lebanon until a tow truck removed the car.

Workers has started to establish support beams and construct a front door and work on steps. The media was clearing out, but Mastronardi wasn't going anywhere.

"What are you gonna do?" he said earlier. "Everyone's all right, everyone's all right. We will live another day!"

Watch video from inside and outside the house, taken by Mike Carraggi. And subscribe to Melrose Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Photos, video by Mike Carraggi/Patch