Neighbours on a terraced street in County Durham have described hearing a huge bang as a car crashed through the front of a house.
Residents couldn't believe their eyes when they rushed outside and saw a blue Kia Sorento had gone into the front of an end terrace property on Hamperley Terrace in Fir Tree, near Crook. A male driver and a female passenger in their 80s were reportedly in the car at the time of the collision on Monday morning.
A number of people rushed outside to help before the emergency services, including the police, ambulance and the fire service, arrived at the scene.
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Neighbours told Chronicle Live how they believe the man may have fallen ill while he was at the wheel. They said that nobody, including the man who lives at the address, were seriously hurt.
Two people were taken to hospital following the crash, which took place at around 9am. Police said the driver of the Kia Sorrento is believed to have lost control and crashed into the front of the house.
On Thursday evening the car remained at the scene however it has been fenced off to prevent any further injury. The pictures show that the car has crashed through the front window causing structural damage to the property.
A female neighbour, who did not want to be identified, told Chronicle Live: "I was in the house at the time. I heard an almighty bang. I thought it was a big truck that had crashed. It was pretty horrific. We see the odd little collision on the junction but we have never seen a car go into a house before."
Another woman, who lives nearby, said: "It saw a lorry behind a car and I thought something had smashed in the back of the lorry from the noise it made. A few minutes later I realised the car had gone into the house while the lorry turned around the corner. It didn't take long for the locals to gather around and help, they were moving rubble around.
"There was an ambulance, a fire engine and about three police cars. It was a bit scary. There's plenty of accidents with the pub wall but not with a house so it was a bit of a shock to see it. I don't think the house will hold out."
A male neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said they rushed outside after hearing a bang and a smash. He said: "I was in the back garden and I came running through the house. I was frightened in case somebody had hurt themselves.
"We didn't realise that the people were still inside the car. When I got closer I realised they were still inside. Obviously you can't move them so I asked them if they would like a hot drink but they were quite relaxed and calm. Apparently the man had a bad turn."
A fourth neighbour added: "The owner of the house was in, it's a man who lives there. He wasn't in the front room thankfully, I don't know where he was. It's a miracle he wasn't in the front room.
"There was a man driving and a woman passenger. The passenger got out ok and they got the driver out on a spinal board but no one was seriously hurt. The man fell ill at the wheel when he did it, it was an accident.
"It was a big shock. The fire brigade, the ambulance and the police were here. They have left the car in because the house will fall down if they remove it. There's no windows broken - I can't believe it!"
The North East Ambulance Service said they dispatched one ambulance crew and took two people to the University Hospital of North Durham for further treatment.
Durham Constabulary said police were called shortly after 9am on Monday to reports of a one vehicle collision on Harperley Terrace, Fir Tree, Crook. A spokesperson said: "It is believed the vehicle, a blue Kia Sorrento lost control and crashed into a house. The driver was taken to hospital as a precaution and thankfully nobody else was injured."
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