TRURO - Lisa Schrader didn't expect to see a vehicle barrelling out of control down Young Street when she left her home on foot just before noon yesterday.
The 21-year-old was on her way to Cobequid Educational Centre when she noticed a white and blue Cadillac approaching the intersection of Young and Esplanade.
"It started to slow down but then I heard a 'clink' and it lost its brakes," remembered Schrader, of her assessment of what caused the crash. "It swerved a truck and I had to jump out of the way as it passed me."
The Truro resident watched as the car plowed into the front porch of 62 Young St.
The path of the car showed it barely missed a light pole, went through a hedge and struck a parked car before crashing into the building. Glass from broken windows covered both the sidewalk and the road. Pieces of siding and wood flew across the small front lawn and the entrance to the two-storey house was lost inside the rubble.
"Two women got out of the vehicle after it hit," she said, "I ran over to ask if they were all right."
It didn't take long for a large crowd of bystanders to gather around the scene.
Schrader said the two women, who appeared to be in their early 30s, were not seriously injured.
"It looked like one of them had cuts on her arm, but nothing too bad, thankfully," she said. "It's amazing that no one was killed during all of this."
Emergency response services were dispatched to the call at 11:52 a.m. and arrived on scene within five minutes.
The building that was struck is a rental unit that belongs to Paul Drake.
"Upstairs is an apartment," said Drake, "and the first floor is a business that was just getting started up. I don't think they had opened yet."
At the time of the crash there was no one on the bottom floor of the building, but the tenant of the upstairs portion was home.
Cpl. Darrin Smith of Truro Police Service said the cause of the crash is still under investigation and that both the driver and passenger of the vehicle did not suffer serious injuries.
jfowler@trurodaily.com
Out-of-control Cadillac swerved to miss truck before crashing: witness
Out-of-control Cadillac swerved to miss truck before crashing: witness
- Published on July 23rd, 2009
- Published on January 2nd, 2010
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Jill Fowler
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Comments
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- mark
- - January 18th, 2010 at 09:52:55
Nice post Ex Pat... It's a good thing we've got the N.S. government to give in to the pressure of concerned citizens like your self. Now there is less being done on inspections and there good for two years ... thats right 2 years . That's half the price.
Who Knows what even happened , and thank god nobody got hurt ... but i'm sure there will be more instances of this sort of thing where it is mechanical failure and then we can all blame ... the government? the concerned citizens? I Know there are alot of people out there that are more concerned about a safe car than the extra time and expense or hassle to their daily schedule. -
- Ex-Pat
- - January 18th, 2010 at 09:49:34
GOOD thing we are pulling the wheels off of cars now for the MVIs....
The MVI system was fine as it was before. Did it prevent *this* incident?
NO.
Is the extra time, expense, effort or hassle to the motoring public worth it...?
I think not....
Thank goodness there was no loss of life or serious injury. -
- Timmah
- - January 18th, 2010 at 09:48:16
Area drivers get thumbs up from visitors print this article
Local motorists praised for using signals, obeying speed limits and being courteous
Teen who rents apartment was home when car plowed into her porch
yea im sure we have great drivers in this town, what a way to post contradicting stories, god this like the second time now that theres been conflicting stories -
- Stitch
- - January 18th, 2010 at 09:48:00
All i can say is that the pedestrian, should be going to church this Sunday. & if it is not mechanical failure the driver should be charged with reckless & imprudent driving!
