Crash a rude awakening

Manu Watson was catapulted out of bed and thrown against his bedroom wall when an out-ofcontrol car slammed into his house.

The BMW station wagon first hit Watson’s vehicle in the driveway of his Motueka home before it crashed into his bedroom, striking the headboard of his bed, about 1am yesterday.

The force of the impact sent the sleeping Watson flying across the room of his Housing New Zealand home, and he ended up pinned against the opposite wall.

Many of his belongings, including a 50-inch television, were thrown against him.

‘‘I woke up against the wall,’’ Watson said. ‘‘I was stuck. I couldn’t open the door to get out.’’

He managed to inch items away from his trapped body until he had enough space to squeeze out.

Watson immediately checked on the driver of the BMW, whom he found conscious but injured, upside down in the vehicle. ‘‘He was dazed.’’

Although Watson suffered bruises and a sore back and was ‘‘still in shock’’, he said he considered himself lucky to escape serious injury.

He was also grateful that his daughter was staying elsewhere, with her mother, at the time of the crash. ‘‘Her room got shaken up.’’

The BMW hit Watson’s Nissan Terrano with such force that the vehicle was shunted forward, smashing into the garage.

‘‘I had a lot of stuff inside that [garage],’’ he said. ‘‘It’s all broken. My vehicle is a writeoff.’’

Watson said he believed that the BMW bounced off his vehicle, became airborne and then ploughed into his bedroom.

‘‘I only just bought the bed,’’ he said with a chuckle, adding: ‘‘I just have to laugh.’’

Watson said he was an invalid and had no insurance.

‘‘I can’t afford insurance. Everything I’ve saved for over the years has gone.’’

Watson said he believed the BMW had been travelling along Grey St before it crossed Pah St and collided with his property, which is directly opposite the intersection of Grey and Pah streets.

It was the second time a vehicle had hit his property in the past year, he said. ‘‘People use [the road] as a racetrack.’’

Police, firefighters and St John Ambulance were called to the scene of the accident. A police spokeswoman said it appeared that the driver of the car had lost control of the vehicle.

‘‘There’s nothing in the job to indicate any issues with the vehicle or any type of medical event,’’ she said.

It did not appear that any charges had been laid at this stage, she said.

St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said one patient was taken to Nelson Hospital with serious injuries.

BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF Manu Watson was sent flying across his bedroom and ended up pinned against a wall under his belongings when an out-of-control car crashed into his Motueka house.

BRADEN FASTIER/ STUFF Manu Watson says he is lucky to have escaped serious injury – and that his daughter was staying elsewhere when the crash happened.