Charges pending after car strikes home on Culver Drive in London

No one was hurt, but damage is estimated at $40,000 after a car struck a duplex on Culver Drive early Wednesday morning.

London police say officers responded to the scene at approximately 4 a.m. after receiving reports that a vehicle had struck a home.

Witnesses told police that two occupants fled from the vehicle. Police were later advised that an adult male had entered the hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. Investigators determined the male was the alleged driver of the vehicle involved in the collision on Culver Drive.

Charges are pending as the investigation into the incident continues.

READ MORE: London area traffic map

The unit of the duplex that received the most damage is owned by a 77-year-old woman and her 82-year-old husband.

Their daughter Doris was relieved they weren’t hurt.

“My mom said that when she heard the bang, she thought it was thunder,” she said. “They were sleeping right at the front of the house, and when they looked out, they couldn’t really see the car because it was dark, early in the morning, and they noticed a light and they wondered what was going on.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My mom said that when she heard the bang, she thought it was thunder," she said. "They were sleeping right at the front of the house, and when they looked out, they couldn't really see the car because it was dark, early in the morning, and they noticed a light and they wondered what was going on."

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The couple has insurance, which will come in handy since Doris said the front portion of the home was heavily damaged.

“The house? It’s destroyed in the living room. It’s really destroyed.”

Anita Garnett lives in the other unit of the duplex with her partner, two children, and her dog. She said the car came to rest roughly a metre from where she was sleeping.

“I was sleeping in front of the window in the front of my house,” Garnett said. “If that tree hadn’t been there, it would have hit me.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I was sleeping in front of the window in the front of my house," Garnett said. "If that tree hadn't been there, it would have hit me."

Garnett said damage to her home is minimal compared to her neighbours, as only her fence and some siding appear to need repairs.

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She said the collision could have been deadly, as the car almost struck a gas main at the front of her unit.

“They could have hit that gas line, and then we’d be all dead, right? The car was almost on top of that gas main.”

Garnett thinks the city should make efforts to enhance safety along Culver Drive.

“They need to put in speed bumps along this road, everybody just wails down this road, they’re just driving way too fast,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They need to put in speed bumps along this road, everybody just wails down this road, they're just driving way too fast," she said.

Anyone with information in relation to the collision is asked to call the London Police Service at (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in online anonymously to www.londoncrimestoppers.com.