Althorne family speaks out after car ploughs into house and leaves them homeless

By Ben Shahrabi 18th Jun 2023

Local News by Ben Shahrabi 18th Jun 2023

Last month, a family car ploughed into a house in Althorne. The traumatised residents have told Nub News how the crash turned their lives upside down.

On May 15, resident Katie Netting was in the kitchen of her home in Burnham Road when a grey Ford Focus smashed into it, narrowly missing her.

"I tried to run and dive across the room and had spraying glass overtaking me, so I thought the car had come through and was going to hit me," Katie recalls.

"My husband was in the next room and heard me scream. The sound of the crash was like a bomb had gone off."

The car could be seen sticking out of the house after colliding with it the night before. (Credit: Katie Netting)

Katie's husband imagined the "absolute worst" when he ran into the kitchen to help her up, finding her somehow uninjured.

"That said, he was terrified and badly affected emotionally - thinking his wife was seriously hurt, or worse," she added.

Passengers could be heard screaming in the overturned Ford Focus, which had been carrying a man and a woman, along with a three-year-old child. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the collision.

However, the incident has left Katie and her husband traumatised.

She said: "We are both jumpy when we hear fast cars, horns beeping or tyres squealing – like when someone pulled away from the junction quickly the following day while we were clearing up. I imagine we will react like that for some time."

The collision left a significant hole in the side of the house. (Credit: Katie Netting)

Katie and her family had only lived in the house for six months. They had been planning to move to the area for the last five years but finally did so at the end of October 2022. While initially surprised at how busy the road was, the family was astonished at how fast some motorists drove past, particularly at night.

"It has completely turned our lives upside down"

The collision had a massive impact on the family.

"It has completely turned our lives upside down for the foreseeable future," Katie says.

Due to the significant damage, an insurance company declared the house 'uninhabitable', so repairs could take four to six months before the family can return.

Repairs are underway at the house, but it could take up to six months to make it habitable again. (Credit: Katie Netting)

In two weeks following the collision, the family faced constant disruption as they were accommodated in five different places.

However, they have finally arranged long-term accommodation and hope to move in early next month. Katie is grateful for all offers of help, but feels it is unfair that her family should face such hardship "because of someone else's irresponsible actions".

She is concerned the experience will "taint" the house and worries how her family will feel living there once the damage is fixed.

Katie said: "We don't know if it will feel like a safe and comfortable home again, but I hope so.

"I don't want to have to worry whenever my son is in the kitchen, or when my husband is cooking, that something like this will happen again.

"And I hope the council will do something to make the roads safer. I think it is a miracle that there were no serious injuries or fatalities from this incident."

The kitchen bore the brunt of the collision - fortunately, Katie was on the other side of the island, which may have saved her life. (Credit: Katie Netting)

Praising "wonderful" support from the Althorne community, Katie added that several neighbours provided help on the night of the crash.

Speeding is a contentious issue for residents, and similar incidents in the village have occurred in recent years. This has been raised with local authorities repeatedly, but residents are unsatisfied with the response.

Katie said: "The fact nothing has been done is extremely disappointing, so I hope that will soon change."