MALDEN — Two people were slightly injured when a van lost control on a slick hillside road and crashed into the living room of a Salem Street home on Monday.
The van blocked a stairwell inside the house at 1249 Salem St., trapping the three uninjured residents on the second floor. Malden firefighters were able to spring the occupants free after about a half hour of effort.
The driver and the passenger of the van were taken to a local hospital to treat minor injuries, according to police. Neither were identified as the crash remains under investigation, according to Malden Police Capt. Marc Gatcomb.
The crash happened about 9 a.m. when the van failed to stop at the west end of Central Avenue. It barreled through a metal guardrail, metal trellis and foot-thick concrete wall before smashing into the front of the house and coming to a rest in the living room.
Central Avenue includes a steep downhill from the area of the Granada Highlands Apartments complex to the thickly settled Linden neighborhood end of Salem Street. The street is one of the first to get winter treatment for ice and snow, according to Malden Department of Public Works director Bob Knox.
“That is one of the steepest drops heading into a major street in the city,” Knox said. “Drivers always have to extra careful when driving and coming to a stop on that street, even when weather is not a factor.”
The three residents had to vacate the house after the morning’s accident, giving officials time to inspect the damage and cleaning crews space to remove the debris.
