A small business owner is trying to get back on her feet and authorities are considering what, if any, charges to file after a driver crashed into a house in North Long Beach, injuring two people inside and embedding his SUV in the wall.
Jennifer Sabaiz, 30, was doing someone’s eyelashes in her living room as part of her esthetician business when the car barreled into her home on the afternoon of June 23.
The wreck left her with a concussion and cuts, and her client needed stitches, according to police records.
Officers arrived and questioned the alleged driver, 32-year-old Matthew Gomez. They allege he had a blood-alcohol content of .052, according to a search warrant filed by detectives.
Gomez initially told officers he was looking down at his phone when he lost control of the vehicle, sending it through an empty lot and into Sabaiz’s home, the warrant says.
Later, he changed his story and said he had a leg cramp in his right calf, which caused him to press the accelerator, according to the warrant.
Police arrested him on suspicion of felony DUI, but charges have so far not been filed as the investigation continues.
Meanwhile, Sabaiz said she’s been trying to recover “day-by-day” after the crash destroyed the home-business she relies on to make money.
Sabaiz is a special education assistant for the Lynwood Unified School District, but she works as a lash artist in the summer.
Since the crash left her home unlivable, Sabaiz and her 7-year-old son have been staying with family members, Sabaiz said in an interview.
That’s made it tough to find a place to cater to her clients.
On top of being displaced, Sabaiz now needs to buy all of the professional beauty equipment she lost in the crash, her brother Hector Avila said. That includes lash supplies, a treatment bed, lighting and other essential tools.
Avila started an online fundraiser looking to help her raise $4,500 to repurchase those supplies and help pay for essentials like groceries and various bills until she can start earning again.
“Losing those weeks of work has created a significant financial setback at the same time they have lost access to their home,” Avila wrote on the fundraiser.
As of Tuesday afternoon, they had raised more than $1,900 towards the $4,500 goal.
Sabaiz hasn’t heard when she’ll be able to move back in. She and her son had lived in the home for just four months before the crash, Sabaiz said.
Even though the wreck has upended their lives, she’s thankful her son wasn’t injured.
“It could have been so much worse,” Sabaiz said.