ALPINE, Calif. — For Tina Emanuel, working at Lion’s, Tigers and Bears in Alpine is the perfect job.
"I've collected tigers since the early 90s," said Emanuel. "Big statues all kinds of tiger stuff, I've always liked tigers."
She was at work Wednesday afternoon doing her typical office work when she got a distressed call," said Emanuel.
"I got a call from my daughter that a truck had gone off the freeway right into the house."
Wednesday morning, the driver of a work truck cruising down the 8 East near El Cajon, had a medical emergency behind the wheel. The truck sped down the embankment, through the chain-link fence and plowed into the side of Tina’s mobile home of ten years. At the time, her mom and daughter were in the house.
"My mom was stuck in the inner bedroom, she couldn't get out. Firemen had to break down the door to get her," said Emanuel. "Our cat, I don't know. We can't find our cat."
The mother, daughter and person driving the truck were all unharmed. Tina’s home on the other hand, completely unlivable. Though the hole where the truck had driven through has been boarded up. It took out the foundation, code enforcement has red-tagged the entire building meaning Tina and her family can’t even go back to collect their belongings.
"I don't know what was destroyed because I can't see inside," said Emanuel. "It's probably all gone. It literally flew across the room. So our whole lives, everything is gone."
Now, Tina and her family are living in a transitional living center while they sort out what their next move is, all of their worldly possessions sitting behind boarded up doors and windows. Not knowing when or if she’ll be able to go back for her things.
Tina and the rest of the employees at Lions, Tigers and Bears have set up a GoFundMe page for the bare necessities and to get them back on their feet while she figures out what’s next.
The sanctuary saying she’s a dedicated employee who has never missed a day of work. While she works with real tigers, she’s hoping to have a chance to see if her porcelain ones made it through the wreck.
You can help Tina and her family, just visit their GoFundMe.
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