Lucky escape as car smashes into garage

Navdeep Kaur had just called out to her brother to come inside for dinner when a car smashed through the corner of their house and into the garage - where her brother had been seconds before.

"He was working in the garage and my husband had just arrived home as well. I called out to my husband, who'd parked the car outside the garage, to come in because dinner was ready.

"Both of them walked in and not long after my brother walked in, there was a big crash. The car had gone through the iron fence, smashed into our car outside and through the garage."

Emergency services were called to the scene, on Alfriston Rd in Manurewa, just after 8.30 last night.

Mrs Kaur, 27, said the power went off immediately and they rushed outside to check on the driver.

"He was unconscious and we called an ambulance. The ambulance took a while to get here, so we were worried."

Emergency staff worked to get the man out of his vehicle. He had suffered serious injuries and was taken to Middlemore Hospital.

Mrs Kaur said although their vehicle and the house had been damaged, they were thankful they were not hurt in the accident.

"We feel really lucky because we could've got hurt quite badly - especially my brother, he was very lucky to have come in when he did."

She said the family had lived in their rented home for three years.

"Our landlord is here and we are lucky because they said we can stay with them tonight. It's not safe here at the moment."

Meanwhile, another crash, in Northland, left four people injured.

The two-car collision happened on State Highway 1 near Kaiwaka just after 8pm.

A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said four people had been taken to hospital for treatment, three with moderate injuries and one with minor injuries.

Police closed off the road - just south of the State Highway 12 intersection at Brynderwyn.