Lons
Old Oak
Last week I got a frantic call to help out some longstanding friends in an emergency so my wife and I were there in minutes to this horrific scene and both of them were in a serious state of shock though unhurt physically. My wife being an ex nurse sorted that side as there were no injuries while I spent an hour and a half sorting out both car and house insurance for him as well as emergency temporary repairs as the lintels were no longer supported. There were blocks falling as we walked up the driveway.
What surprised me was that the car insurance company said it‘s an increasingly common accident and he was lucky it’s a hybrid rather than an EV which would have most likely required a new battery pack as the car “climbed” over the concrete blocks. The guys who came out that evening to make safe and secure the premises said this was the third they had attended in the last 6 weeks
That wasn't locally as they cover a wide area.
This photo taken half an hour or so after the accident shows only part of the damage which is extensive. I’ve blanked out his number plate so it can’t be traced. The roof looks as if it's sagged in the middle but that's just a quirk of the camera and it's all supported now by acro props.
His wife luckily was standing watching him put the car away so pulled him out. How she managed is beyond me as she’s 6 stone soaking wet, adrenalin I guess. I took a risk and managed to retrieve his ‘phone and keys from the car but thinking back I shouldn have done that.
The car is a 1 week old, a nearly £60k Merc. with less than 100 miles on the clock. He'd just traded in his previous smaller GLA so this being longer was a tight fit for length in the garage and he was inching forward when his foot slipped and wallop, straight through an internal concrete block dividing wall, though the utility sink and washing maching and demolished the external cavity wall as you can see. Burst a water pipe which was too dangerous for me to get at and was a full mains pressure fountain luckily directed into the garden so I had to turn off the main supply. I found out later it had fractured the oil pipe supply to the boiler as well though that didn't leak too much.
The car has a smashed windsreen and a lot of superficial damage but nothing major and the airbags didn’t fire. ATM he’s talking about going back to a smaller car or giving up and they’ve already given him a trade in value substantially less than he paid so I’ve got first refusal if he does. It will be repaired by the MB main dealer so I’d have no issues with that
I’d have to get that past the wife which could be a major hurdle though.
What surprised me was that the car insurance company said it‘s an increasingly common accident and he was lucky it’s a hybrid rather than an EV which would have most likely required a new battery pack as the car “climbed” over the concrete blocks. The guys who came out that evening to make safe and secure the premises said this was the third they had attended in the last 6 weeks
That wasn't locally as they cover a wide area.This photo taken half an hour or so after the accident shows only part of the damage which is extensive. I’ve blanked out his number plate so it can’t be traced. The roof looks as if it's sagged in the middle but that's just a quirk of the camera and it's all supported now by acro props.
His wife luckily was standing watching him put the car away so pulled him out. How she managed is beyond me as she’s 6 stone soaking wet, adrenalin I guess. I took a risk and managed to retrieve his ‘phone and keys from the car but thinking back I shouldn have done that.
The car is a 1 week old, a nearly £60k Merc. with less than 100 miles on the clock. He'd just traded in his previous smaller GLA so this being longer was a tight fit for length in the garage and he was inching forward when his foot slipped and wallop, straight through an internal concrete block dividing wall, though the utility sink and washing maching and demolished the external cavity wall as you can see. Burst a water pipe which was too dangerous for me to get at and was a full mains pressure fountain luckily directed into the garden so I had to turn off the main supply. I found out later it had fractured the oil pipe supply to the boiler as well though that didn't leak too much.
The car has a smashed windsreen and a lot of superficial damage but nothing major and the airbags didn’t fire. ATM he’s talking about going back to a smaller car or giving up and they’ve already given him a trade in value substantially less than he paid so I’ve got first refusal if he does. It will be repaired by the MB main dealer so I’d have no issues with that
I’d have to get that past the wife which could be a major hurdle though.
we've known them more than 30 years but it's what any half decent person would do even if just off the street Mark, friends or not.