Tenants flee after mini-van strikes house, severs gas line

No-one was hurt after a mini-van slammed into a house in Woodstock Monday morning, rupturing a gas line, and forcing residents out of their beds to safety.

"All we heard was a big thud," said tenant Dave Griswold, who lives with his family in one half of the duplex that was struck.

"It shook the house. Everybody had to get out in a hurry. 'Cause we opened the front door and all I could smell was gas. We all just got out of there in a hurry," he explained.

The house after the driver of a mini-van hit it, rupturing a gas line - Monday May 8, 2023 (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)Woodstock Police said a 28 year old driver is facing a charges of:

• Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs; and
• Failure or refusal to comply with demand

Officers responded to the home on Main Street near Douglas Street around 4:30 Monday morning after a vehicle crashed into the front of a house.

Five people between the two homes managed to get out safely. According to those who live in the home, a mini-van was headed west on Main Street when it crossed over the oncoming lane, drove across a front lawn while clipping a tree, and slammed into the front of the home. The vehicle would end up directly on top of a gas meter, wedged into the wall with the driver side up against the house.

Vehicle that hit a house in Woodstock, rupturing a gas line - Monday May 8, 2023 (Source: Provided) A tenant in the second unit, who didn’t want to be identified, said he watched as the driver climbed out of the vehicle through the passenger window.

"He was staggering around all over the place," said the resident. "I called 911 and told him to sit down outside because he kept asking to come in the house. I said 'no I’m not letting a stranger in my home, but you can sit on the steps'."

Neighbours told CTV News that Enbridge Gas was notified, and it was about two-and-a-half hours later that they were able to shut off the gas.

One hundred eighteen homes in the area would be affected by the shut-off, and homes in the immediate area were evacuated.

The house after the driver of a mini-van hit it, rupturing a gas line - Monday May 8, 2023 (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)Teresa Izzard lives a few doors away and hustled her family out of their home when she heard what had happened.

"I’m like, ‘maybe we should evacuate too,' because I didn’t know if the gas was off or on, and I’m like ‘where should we go'?"

Woodstock Police closed a section of Main Street to traffic.

Neighbour Chris Lomas, said the roadway is already notorious for speeders.

Vehicle that hit a house in Woodstock, rupturing a gas line - Monday May 8, 2023 (Source: Provided) "About two years ago we had somebody speeding down this road and hit another car at the intersection, and it was a fatality," he said. "Speeds need to decrease around here."

By mid-morning most residents were allowed back inside their homes, and the road was re-opened. Dave Griswold, however, was still waiting for the air to clear.

"I’m not going back in," he said. "It just smells like gas in there."

No injuries were reported in the incident.