Marcy Sjostrom says her neighbour was out getting a manicure when a semi-truck smashed into her home in Nanoose Bay on Monday afternoon.
The neighbour’s niece had also left the house just before the crash to go to her grandparents’ place next door, said Sjostrom, who lives two doors from the house that was hit.
Sjostrom, whose mother lives directly next door to the damaged house, said it’s the fourth or fifth time in five years that a vehicle has veered off the highway and into yards in the area, but the first time one has struck a house.
On Monday, the truck was northbound about 1:55 p.m. in the 2900 block of the Island Highway, about seven kilometres south of Parksville, when it went through an adjacent yard and then into the side of the house, said Oceanside RCMP Cpl. Mike Kane.
The driver was taken to hospital by air ambulance after being stuck in the truck for several hours before a rescue team could extract him. The truck was completely embedded in the house and was leaking diesel fuel, and remained stuck there through Tuesday afternoon.
The driver was the only person hurt. The cause of the collision is still under investigation, police said, but a medical event may have been a contributing factor.
Sjostrom said her daughter was in a garage suite at her mother’s home when the truck hit the home next door.
“I could hear my daughter screaming ‘Mom, mom, mom!’ with my grandbaby on her hip,” said Sjostrom, who was walking her dogs when she heard a “big boom.”
Her daughter’s boyfriend ran over to try to help the driver, she said.
While police believe Monday’s crash might have resulted from a medical emergency, Sjostrom said previous incidents involving vehicles veering off the highway into properties have been the result of speeding.
“We’re trying to get something done here so we can actually get speed bumps or move the highway and try to get some safety here, because no one ever goes 60 in the 60 zone — they all go 100.”
The crash slowed northbound traffic on Highway 19 to a crawl for hours Monday afternoon.
Police warned of possible delays Tuesday, as well, as work continued at the scene.
“I think it will be a bit of an endeavour to remove the semi-truck,” Kane said. “It is fully within the structure of the residence.”
Oceanside RCMP, Nanoose Bay Fire Department and Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officials are all investigating.
jbell@timescolonist.com
