Rolleston couple make ‘miracle’ escape after car slams through their bedroom

• A car crashed through a couple’s home in Rolleston, Canterbury but they walked away without serious injuries.
• Llewellyn Venter freed his wife, Sue-ann Venter, from under the vehicle, crediting a curtain for protecting them from shrapnel.
• The couple are staying with friends and are grateful for community support and urging drivers to be careful.

A couple feel lucky to be alive after a “traumatic” accident saw a car catapult through their Canterbury home in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Llewellyn Venter awoke in his house on Rolleston’s Shillingford Boulevard around 3.30am to use the bathroom.

As he made his way back to his bed just minutes later, he heard a loud rumbling which he compared to “thunder rolling in”, before a massive bang rang out – and a car covered himself and his wife, Sue-ann Venter.

Venter was pinned down by a doorframe but quickly went into “survival mode” and managed to free himself.

He immediately started screaming for his wife but was initially greeted with silence.

The aftermath of a car smashing through the house.

After the third shout, Sue-ann Venter finally answered.

Llewellyn Venter discovered she was underneath the wheel of the vehicle, which had crashed through their bedroom.

Lewellyn and Sue-ann Venter outside their damaged in Rolleston.

Sue-ann Venter said she woke up to “pressure on her chest” and thought she was “going to die”.

“I don’t know how or with God being there with me, we managed to lift the car off and pull her out,” Llewellyn Venter said.

Sue-ann Venter credited her husband for saving her life and being her “hero”, in what was the “scariest day of her life”.

Upon freeing themselves, they quickly ran to aid the driver of the vehicle and were greeted by neighbours who had rushed from their homes to help.

The pair’s bedroom was covered in dust and debris, with the impact of the crash causing bricks from the outside of their home to fly through and lodge themselves on the walls opposite inside.

Llewellyn Venter credited one thing which saved their lives, other than pure luck: the curtain.

“The curtain covered us from most of the shrapnel ... there was so much debris that just flung around in our room.

Llewellyn and Sue-ann Venter feel lucky to be alive after the accident.

Miraculously, both walked away without serious injuries.

“We had bumps, scratches and some bruises, but the doctors did some CT scans and X-rays and everything came back clear.”

Venter called it an “absolute miracle”.

He said the driver of the vehicle also walked away without major injuries.

Police said the motorist was “said to be in moderate condition”.

“We’re still worried about him as well, it’s not nice having an accident like that,” Venter said.

The pair are still processing the entire event.

“Yesterday was the worst, obviously ... we wanted to cry every time someone spoke to us or mentioned it”.

“You keep on replaying everything in your head ... I was brought to tears so many times”.

A day on, the couple are attempting to pick up the pieces of their severely damaged rental, which is unliveable for now.

The trail of destruction after a car slammed into the house.

They’ve been humbled by the level of support from the Rolleston community during such a shocking and traumatic time for them both.

That included neighbours who rushed to their aid within minutes of the crash to help the pair and the vehicle’s driver.

“Everyone was just there ... they all wanted to help,” Venter said.

The Venters are currently staying with friends and hope to find a new rental home this week.

Llewellyn Venter is hopeful his family’s story will serve as a reminder for people to drive carefully and think twice about the decisions they make behind the wheel.

Blake Benny is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on tourism and social issues, along with general news.

He joined Newstalk ZB in 2022, having previously studied Broadcast Journalism at the New Zealand Broadcasting School.

You can contact Blake at blake.benny@nzme.co.nz.