Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SIBLINGS ARE LUCKY TO ESCAPE ‘DEATH SMASH’
Fury after car ploughs into garden and house
A DISABLED woman and her brother were lucky to escape injury when a car smashed into their home.
The pair live together in West Belfast following the death of their mother in March.
Local Sinn Fein councillor Steven Corr said the woman is known to “stand for long periods at her front door”.
He added it was lucky no one was killed or injured after the car smashed through the garden wall and “into the front of the house” in West Belfast late on Tuesday night.
Cllr Corr said: “These are grown adult men and that makes it worse – they weren’t children. ,We believe they just lost control and smacked into the house.
“We are very lucky we are not dealing with fatalities here. Anyone who knows this area knows that [the woman] stands for long periods at her front door of what should be the sanctity of her home. This was shattered late last night.”
Cllr Corr described the aftermath of the crash on the Whiterock Road as “a scene of total destruction”.
He added: “We had to wait while the gas was checked and then for a structural engineer to arrive to give the all-clear for the car to be removed for evidence and then allow the house to be secured.
“As always this community rallied to the incident and showed up to offer their support.”
Cllr Corr also praised a representative from Clanmil Housing “who was still there at the scene after 2am”. One man was arrested following the incident but two others are reported to have fled the scene.
A PSNI officer in the area said: “Local residents of Whiterock Road narrowly escaped serious injury or perhaps worse when a vehicle crashed through their front garden wall and smashed into the front of their home.”
He added the incident “required the services of PSNI, NIFRS, Phoenix Gas, Clanmil Housing and vehicle recovery to name a few”.
The officer said: “One male was arrested at the scene and police believe two males made off in the direction of Whiterock Grove.
“Woodbourne LPT [Local Policing Team] officers are appealing for witnesses to assist in apprehending these males, one of whom was said to be wearing a hi-vis vest.
“Please ring 101 with any information, quoting serial number 1579 of 25/07/17 to help catch these cowards and bring them before the courts.
“We would also appeal for these suspects to make contact with us ASAP... you left your mobile phones behind lads!”
WEST BELFAST YESTERDAY