JULIAN, CA -- A Julian family is displaced after their home was hit by a tractor that flew off a flatbed driven by a suspected drunk Caltrans driver.

It happened Friday around 1p.m. while the driver made a turn in the road.

After the tractor smashed into the side of Paul Thomas's apartment, it crashed onto the ground, shattering the asphalt.

The truck continued on, smashed another pickup, and veered through oncoming traffic twice before it finally came to rest a few feet west of the Winola Farms Marketplace.

The driver, 49 year old Christopher Trachta of Julian, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Caltrans released this statement: "The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending a review of the police investigation. The Department makes safety of motorists and its employees a top priority and feels very strongly about the dangers of drinking and driving and will act swiftly if the evidence proves that the driver was intoxicated. The Department is upset that the end result has caused a hardship for the homeowner, and we are taking this case very seriously."

Paul Thomas, Owner of Julian Hard Cider, recently moved into the second story apartment, and had just finished redoing the walls.

Thomas was supposed to fix the gas stove in the corner and had gone to the store to get replacement parts. That's when he got the call, that his home was "toast."

Thomas came home to find bricks and plaster all over his living room, and cracks in his ceiling.

Thomas told 10News he has been calling Caltrans to ask them to do something about the speeders along Highway 78, and said he finds it ironic his home was destroyed by a Caltrans employee.

Business was open as usual at the marketplace.

No one was injured.