Homeowner injured when car crashes through wall
An Earl Township woman was taken to Reading Hospital for minor injuries suffered when a car crashed through the side of her residence late Monday afternoon, Feb. 26, causing severe structural damage to the house, emergency officials said.
The woman, whose name wasn’t released, was the
lone occupant of the home at North Ironstone Drive and Willow Road when the accident happened shortly before 5:30 p.m., state police at Reading said.
The driver, Anders S. Miller, 20, of Boyertown, lost control of his 1974 Chevrolet Corvette when he accidentally stepped on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake while making a left turn onto Willow from Ironstone,
which parallels Route 73, troopers said.
The car crashed thorough the wall in the area of the chimney next to a wood stove that was in use.
Miller and the homeowner were out of the house when emergency crews arrived. Miller was uninjured.
Personnel from Boyertown Area Fire & Rescue’s collapse unit entered the home to assess structural
damage, while firefighters from Earl Township Fire Company emptied the stove of its hot contents.
The homeowner was evaluated at the scene and taken to the hospital by Boyertown Ambulance.
The collapse unit determined the second floor was compromised by the car knocking out several studs of the support wall.
Officials developed a plan to build a temporary
support system around the car, using struts to prop up the rafters.
The damaged wall portion resting on the car was removed and crews cut around the vehicle in the exterior wall to allow a towing
contractor to safely remove the car.
A restoration company was dispatched, with workers building a temporary support wall that allowed the fire company to remove the struts.