4WD plunges into Gympie loungeroom after handbrake fail
A STRAY Suzuki 4WD brought chaos into a Southside woman's life yesterday when the vehicle rolled free of a neighbour's driveway, sped across the street and smashed into the front of her house.
The woman, who requested anonymity, said she initially thought it was a joke when the real estate agent of the rental called her at work to break the news just after 11am.
It really only sank in when she pulled into her street and saw the wreckage.
"You don't expect to see a car in your front loungeroom," she said.
"I was very upset; I burst into tears."
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The rear end of the car bashed the front window into the house and fractured the brick work, spraying rubble, blinds, concrete and glass across her loungeroom floor.
Nobody was in the house at the time.
Remarkably, the Suzuki was almost entirely unscathed in the crash; the back end was slightly dented in when it hit the wall.
The 56-year-old owner of the car, who also requested anonymity and was home at the time, said he "just heard a crash".
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He said it was "a bit of a shock" when he walked outside and discovered his car was in a neighbour's yard.
"You don't often see that happen," he said.
"I was hoping no-one was there."
He said the cause of the accident was simple: "the handbrake didn't hold".
And he was grateful the crash was not worse - he said the 4WD narrowly missed collecting another car travelling along the street.
Fireys were called to the home about midday to help with shoring up the house, which was eventually boarded up and secured thanks to the help of a Gympie builder.
