Close call after car crashes into fence

Witness told that wooden post pierced bodywork

THE occupants of a car that crashed and rolled had a lucky escape.

Police say the Toyota Yaris left the road in Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, flattened a telephone pole and a fence, then struck a gas substation shortly after 9pm on Thursday last week. It then started to leak petrol.

Miles Gillman, who lives in the road, spoke to the Gazette and said that he had been told by firefighters that a wooden post from the destroyed fence had gone through one of the doors of the car and was within inches of impaling one of the passengers.

Mr Gillman, vicechairman of Northwood Residents’ Association, said: “For ages people have been trying to get a camera on that particularly dangerous corner. Every property in this road has had a car through its front garden.”

When a fire crew from Harrow fire station arrived at the scene, they found that the occupants of the car had already got out. They were said to be suffering only minor injuries.

London Ambulance Service said it treated three people at the scene, after which they were taken to Northwick Park Hospital, in Kenton.

Firefighters were on the scene until 2.50am as engineers made the substation safe and checked for gas leaks, and the road was closed for a time.

Does this stretch of Rickmansworth Road need safety measures?

See pages 15 and 16 for ways to get in touch.