Car crashes into house: 'He actually had big pieces of wood inside the car'

Scott Hollis-Johns had a car smash into his Welcome Bay Rd house on Friday night. Photo / Andrew Warner

Scott Hollis-Johns was in bed, just about to go to sleep.

His partner was on the couch, resting. She was recovering from an operation.

It was almost 10pm on Friday night, but the pair wouldn't end up getting much sleep.

A car, allegedly driving at speed around a corner on Welcome Bay Rd in Tauranga, lost control and hurtled through a fence and towards the house.

Hollis-Johns said they heard a squealing of tyres and then a "big bang".

"We're lucky because there's a concrete post in the corner of the neighbour's and he's hit that and then he's actually turned, he's hit the garage sideways and gone over to here."

The 48-year-old walked over to where his car was parked the night before. Debris scattered everywhere.

Remarkably, Hollis-Johns' car was not hit. The car parked in the garage was also somehow untouched.

"So I ended up out here in my underpants talking to a driver who was wandering around quite dazed."

Hollis-Johns said the man was already out of the car and was "very confused".

He said the driver had a bit of a "bashed up face" but wasn't too badly injured. He was walking around.

"The car was pretty bad. Because he'd hit the concrete post and he actually had big pieces of wood inside the car somehow – they'd driven in through the passenger side."

The car had taken out a power box, which knocked out electricity for all the surrounding houses.

The clothes line ended up on the ground among big pieces of wood from the fence and other bits and pieces from the garage.

Dozens of people showed up straight after the crash.

Fire, St John Ambulance and police were also there.

Hollis-Johns said the power box was secured and the driver was taken away. The neighbours wandered off back home.

"It was all over in like half an hour, I suppose ... and then we thought, oh, we better have a cup of tea, so we had to break out the camping gear."

He said the power went back on at about 1.30am/2am.

"And then we're still sort of awake probably 2.30am, lying there. It's not easy when you're ..." he paused.

"It makes you feel funny when someone drives a car into your house," Hollis-Johns said with a laugh.

The clean-up started first thing this morning. When the Bay of Plenty Times arrived at the house, a neighbour was helping sweep up some of the rubble.

A builder was to help straighten up the garage and put some plywood over the damaged wall to secure it.

"We're just lucky he hit the post because otherwise he would have gone full ball straight into the corner and head first," Hollis-Johns said.

"At least he wasn't hurt badly and we're just grateful we've got insurance."

It was also lucky his 16-year-old daughter wasn't at home at the time, he said.

Police said this afternoon charges had not been laid "at this point".

The incident, which happened between Kaitemako Rd and Meadowviews Drive, was reported to police about 9.45pm.