Man left homeless after car crashes into his house

Ralph Spence, 53, was sitting in the front room of his home in Ailsa Close, Crawley, with his seven-year-old daughter Carly and nine-year-old nephew Seb on Sunday afternoon (January 29) when the car crashed through the garden wall and hit the back wall of his house.

Mr Spence said: “I was sat at home with my daughter and nephew watching television in the front room before we suddenly heard a massive bang which sounded like an earthquake.

“It was so terrifying for the children and myself.

“We were sat at the front of the house and the car hit the back of the house about six feet away from us.

“We were told by a specialist fire team from East Grinstead that had the car hit the middle of the wall then it could have gone straight through it and into my house.

“With two children in the house, that could potentially have killed us.”

Building inspectors from Crawley Borough Council said it was unsafe to live in, he added.

Mr Spence has been living with friends since the crash.

He said: “I have been left homeless as a result because my property is unsafe to live in.

“The house hasn’t started to fall down but the crack in the corner is about six foot high.

“I’m not sure what happened in the lead up to this incident but it is very lucky that we weren’t injured or even killed.”

Police said the driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Mr Spence’s son Peter was also in the house with his girlfriend Holly Roberts, 21, when the car hit.

Miss Roberts said the children were still ‘really stressed’ from their ordeal.

She added: “The noise was the loudest thing you have ever heard. It shook the whole house and sounded like an earthquake had hit.

“Then everyone panicked because we didn’t know what was going on and the little girl was screaming.”

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