Another twit in the wall

By Kelly Yates
IT WAS a case of being in the right place at the right time for a Narre Warren family, who feel lucky they weren’t at home when a car ploughed through their house on Saturday night.
Richard and Sheila Dagg returned to their Anaconda Road home after a weekend away only to discover a car had rammed into their master bedroom, completely destroying everything in the room.
Police said the vehicle was heading west along the road when the driver lost control, crashed through a fence and went into the side of the house at 7.15pm.
“Our bed was against the wall that the car went through.
“The bricks at the side of the house completely shattered,” Mrs Dagg said.
“If it had been a week day, we would have both been killed.”
The couple, who have been living in the house for 20 years, are continuing to count the damage costs as temporary repair works are done on their home.
“We’ll have to replace the carpet and floorboards and we need a whole new bedroom suite – it was all destroyed,” Mrs Dagg said.
“Richard is an avid reader, so many of his expensive books were also damaged.”
Police blocked Anaconda Road for an hour that night while emergency services removed the vehicle from the house.
Firefighter Shaun Hill from the Narre Warren North Fire Brigade said firefighters had concerns about the structure of the house and a gas leak, after the car hit the gas and hot water system at the side of the building. Ms Dagg said speeding drivers along the road had been an issue in the area for many years.
“We’ve called for speed humps but have had no luck getting any results,” she said. “The driver was lucky he didn’t kill anyone.
“We can replace everything we’ve lost but the main thing we are thankful about is that no-one was seriously hurt.”
A witness to the incident, who wished to remain anonymous, was jogging along the road when he heard a “big bang”.
“I ran to the site and could hear a hissing sound and smelt gas,” the serving member with Dandenong RSL said.
“Many residents were shouting ‘it’s going to explode’ and at that point I knew I had to get the man out of the car.
“I turned the gas meter off, the hissing sound stopped and I helped get the man out.”
The witness described the area as a “danger zone which could have exploded”.
“There could have been massive property damage and loss of life.
“The local residents really came together that night and put their own safety at risk to help the others.”
The couple praised the efforts of firefighters, SES volunteers, police and their neighbours.
The driver of the car, a 23-year-old man from Narre Warren, is set to face drink driving charges and other traffic offences. A passenger in the car suffered minor injuries.