POCATELLO — Residents of a Pocatello neighborhood started their morning off with a bang when a vehicle driven by a local teenager went through the wall of a garage on Fairway Drive.

The accident caused enough of an impact to shake a neighboring home, but the teenage driver only sustained minor injuries in the incident, said Lt. Roger Schei with the Pocatello Police Department. The 16-year-old male, whose name was not released, was cited for inattentive driving following the accident.

The teen was on his way to pick up a friend who lives in the neighborhood when the accident occurred shortly before 8 a.m., according to neighbors. He apparently reached down to pick up his cell phone when the blue convertible car he was driving suddenly went over the curb, across the lawn and through the garage located at 1855 Fairway Drive.

Cindy Mickelsen, owner of the property, said the vehicle went into the front portion of the garage — missing the suburban parked inside — and through the southeast wall before it hit a retaining wall and finally came to a stop.

“We were really lucky that no one was (seriously) hurt,” she said, adding that she’s grateful the teen wasn’t riding with anyone. “Some of the bricks fell through (onto) the passenger’s side.”

Her husband, Mike, was at home sitting in the study at the time of the accident, but he wasn’t injured, she said.

Mike Holmes, who lives next door, said he feared that the car had struck his own home at first.

“Our house shook, there was a loud noise,” he said. “I was sure he hit us.”

It wasn’t until he went outside that he realized the vehicle had hit his neighbor’s garage instead.

Holmes said there have been similar accidents in the area before. He’s lived there for 37 years and has seen a pizza delivery vehicle that went over a neighbor’s lawn, through a retaining wall and stopped just before it hit his truck parked in the driveway. Another vehicle once went through the window of a duplex located a block away, he said, adding that most of the accidents he’s seen were a result of speeding.

Mickelsen, who has lived in her home for 20 years, said she’s also seen cars go off the road and into neighbors’ yards before, but this is the first time one has hit her home.

“(We’ve always said we’re lucky) we live where we live because cars don’t come this way,” she said.

Construction workers with Bickley Construction in Pocatello were able to brace the side of the garage on Monday, which should keep the structure secure until repairs can be made, Mickelsen said, adding that she doesn’t yet know the total value of the damage.