Two St. Catharines residents got the worst kind of wakeup call Sunday morning.
Police are investigating after a Jeep Cherokee crashed into the side of an apartment building at 123 Church St., near Court St. at about 1:15 p.m.
Niagara Regional Police say a 72-year-old St. Catharines man was driving the Jeep west on Church St., but when he turned north it accelerated quickly and he lost control. The Jeep mounted the curb and crashed into the apartment building, driving through the wall and into a ground-floor apartment bedroom.
The driver was able to walk away from the crash that left the truck lodged in the structure up to its windshield.
A 32-year-old man and 27-year-old woman inside the building were taken to hospital suffering obvious cuts and bruises. Police said they sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Brendon Voumvakis, who lives in the apartment right above, said he was in the bathroom just after 1 p.m. when he heard the loud bang.
“You could hear a loud squeal, like when a car is going too fast, followed by a big bang,” he said. “You could feel the bang. It was very loud.
“I said to my girlfriend, ‘I think someone’s in trouble’ and asked her to call 911.”
When they rushed out, they found the Jeep rammed partway inside the building. A board had gone through the windshield, narrowly missing the driver.
Voumvakis said they tried to get in to the apartment, but there was too much debris blocking the door.
“Part of the structure from the building came in on them when he hit the wall,” said Haley Morgan, who also lives in the apartment above.
“The couple were in bed, all we could see were their feet at the bottom,” she said. “She was just screaming for help.”
Firefighters were able to secure the vehicle and building and bring out the two residents, who were transported by ambulance to hospital.
Police closed off the area for much of the day for their investigation, which is continuing.
Source: Welland Tribune