Man crashes car into Vermilion home, flees scene on foot

A man allegedly driving under the influence crashed into a home Tuesday night and fled the scene on foot, causing a neighborhood search.

Bob McLean said he was in the backroom of his home when he heard the sound of what he thought was thunder.

“My wife goes, ‘That ain't thunder,’” said McLean.

McLean recalled rushing outside of his home to inspect the noise, and that’s when he saw his motorcycle has been run over and the guardrail that was once on the side of his street was poking out of his home.

Photo courtesy: Hanna Hardie

“My granddaughter’s car was right there. I thought she was home, so I went back into the room, and I started digging through her mattress. It was just pressed up against the wall. No one would live through that,” said McLean.

Vermilion Police body camera footage obtained by News 5 shows chilling moments as an officer is digging through the debris, searching for McLean’s granddaughter, Hanna Hardie.

“Hanna! Hanna!,” yelled Hardie’s family as they searched her room for her.

“Hanna, you have to make a noise to let us know you’re here,” said a woman.

Hardie told News 5 she was three cities away from Vermilion with a friend.

She said her uncle tried video chatting with her, and she thought it was an unusual call, so she didn’t answer. But then he called a second time.

“He’s like, ‘Where are you?’ I say, ‘I’m in Wakeman. Why? What’s going on?’ And he was like, ‘There’s a car in your bedroom,’” said Hardie.

A half-hour later, Hardie arrived home to see her block was painted with red and blue lights.

“I come over here, and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God.’ I’m crying. I don’t even know what to do,” said Hardie. “My whole life is gone. It’s like so gross. This doesn’t feel like my house.”

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Hardie said she now has water damage to her bedroom floor, her clothes are covered in oil, her dresser is coated in rubbing alcohol, and her bed frame “literally disintegrated.” She added she had to throw away her mattress.

Hardie’s car she recently purchased, as well as McLean’s motorcycle and car, are now inoperable. The family has one working vehicle for the time being.

“Literally, an hour before, I was in my bed. I’d literally made a TikTok an hour before I left the house in my bed and with my back up against [the wall the car drove through]. I just wanted to throw up,” said Hardie.

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A nearby Vermilion officer heard the crash and drove to Hardie’s home Tuesday night.

“He immediately called for other units. At that point, he went up and the first thing he did… and I give a lot of credit to this officer. He made sure nobody was hurt, briefly surveyed the scene and then he realized the vehicle operator was not there either,” stated Vermilion Police Department Sergeant Drew Davis.

The alleged driver, 38-year-old Paul Carrion, fled the scene of the crash on foot.

Sgt. Davis said a K-9 unit was called to search.

“The scene was very complex,” said Sgt. Davis.

As Vermilion officers searched the neighborhood, they found him hiding in a home approximately three streets from the crash.

“Come out, guy. They’re here waiting for you. Let’s go,” said a man inside the home who claims not to know Carrion.

Hardie said the house Carrion was found in is “known to be a drug spot.”

Carrion begins walking outside with his hands behind his back, according to Vermilion Police body camera footage.

“You’re under arrest right now,” said a Vermilion officer.

Vermilion Police ask Carrion if he was driving the vehicle that drove into Hardie’s home, but Carrion doesn’t respond.

“Come on brother. Just be honest. We got too many fingers pointing at you,” said another Vermilion officer.

Eventually, Carrion tells police officers he’s hurting “all over” from the car crash.

As he’s searched before being placed into a Vermilion Police car, a set of keys matching the car from the scene are found in Carrion’s pocket, according to body camera footage.

Carrion later explains he crashed into Hardie’s home because “my sister cut the brakes in the car.”

Carrion has been charged with:

• Reasonable Control (failing to maintain control of the roadway)
• Obstructing Official Business
• Stopping After Accident Involving Damage to Realty
• Operating a Vehicle Impaired

“We do suspect drugs or alcohol were part of the crash,” stated Sgt. Davis.
Body camera footage reveals a bottle of pills and a THC container were retrieved from the vehicle.

Davis said no one was significantly injured in the crash, including the alleged driver.

“He could have killed a lot of people,” said Hardie.

There were a handful of passengers in the vehicle with Carrion at the time of the crash, according to Davis.

“That is still under investigation,” said Davis. He added those inside the vehicle, other than Carrion are not in trouble.

As for those inside the home where Carrion was found, Sgt. Davis said that is also still under investigation.

Hardie is now trying to pick up what’s left of her bedroom and begin rebuilding.

“It still really doesn’t feel real,” said Hardie. “I keep opening my door, hoping it’s all going to be back. Nothing is coming back. It’s really strange to see everything.”

Luckily, the camera Hardie uses for photography work is okay, but the laptop she used to work on those photos is trashed.

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“I’m glad it was my room because everybody else was home so if it was anybody else’s, God only knows what would have happened because we know what would have happened if I had been here,” she added. “Nothing prepares you for that. Being 21 and losing everything is not something you’re prepared for.”

Hardie said she’s been in contact with her lawyer, but because no one was injured, nor does Carrion allegedly have car insurance, she’s not able to file a lawsuit against him.

“No lawyer is going to take the case,” said Hardie. “I guess I’m just going to cut my losses with that and not sue him.”

Hardie has a GoFundMe in an effort to start rebuilding a piece of the life she lost Tuesday night.

McLean estimates the repair to his home will take months and cost thousands.

Additionally, he told News 5 that the 21-year-old guardrail will need to be replaced by the City of Vermilion.

McLean said the speeding by his home has been a problem for years that police have been trying to curb, but “they can’t be here 24/7. This corner is kind of bad. I had the guardrail put in because they’ve hit two of my cars already.”

“I hope [Carrion] learned something. He left not knowing [if] he killed anybody. That’s pretty bad,” said McLean.

Both McLean and Hardie are hoping more charges against Carrion will follow.

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