KINGSTON TOWNSHIP-- Rescue crews rushed to a home on Bunker Hill Road in Kingston Township after Joseph Derhammer Sr. ran off the road and plowed his pickup into the garage.
Police said the Plymouth man died at the scene.
At the time Fred Bankes was upstairs in his bedroom.
At first he thought there had been an earthquake, but then he came down and noticed his wall caved in.
He said, "You never expect that!"
The former army platoon sergeant saw the truck had broken through the wall, and smashed his two vehicles together.
Bankes said, "I was concerned about the person in there."
Charles Emil said Derhammer had been at a graduation party for a relative less than a mile away.
"It was a happy occasion. Everybody was there, the whole 9 yards."
Emil said when he last saw his friend about a half hour before the crash, Derhammer didn't seem intoxicated. He adds that Derhammer was especially generous, often helping with work on his home, and never taking take a penny.
Emil said, "It seems like it is always a good person that leaves, it's really sad...he would do anything for anybody."
Police have not said whether alcohol or speed could have contributed to the crash.
According to authorities, an autopsy will be performed next week.