Lucky escape as car crashes into Wolverhampton home
A father-of-three had a miraculous escape after a BMW careered into his 18th century family home as he sat inches away from the impact.
Rupert Doley was sat at his desk in his Grade II listed farm house on Birches Barn Road in Pennfields, Wolverhampton when the vehicle smashed into his property at 10pm last night.
Also in house was his wife Marina and their three children.
The black BMW, being driven by a man, collided with Mr Doley's Vauxhall Astra with such force it ended up 20 yards away and facing the opposite direction.
After striking his car, the BMW then left the road and hit a tree before ploughing into the front wall of Mr Doley's home.
The 49-year-old, who is director for tree removal firm Great Moore Trees Limited, said had he been sat in his car he would have been killed.
This morning the aftermath of the crash was a scene of twisted metal, smashed glass and broken tree limbs.
Mr Doley, who has lived in the house all of his life, said: " I was sat at my desk and I could hear this terrific roar of an engine coming up the street.
"Our house is close to the road so I knew it wasn't busy at that time of night.
All of a sudden there was this massive bang, It was absolute carnage.
"I came outside and the wheels of the car were spinning, it was like something out of the start of a drag race. "Some guy walked past and turned the ignition off as it was still running. I looked up the road and my car was about 20 yards away and facing the opposite direction.
"Had the tree not have been in my front garden it would have come through the house and I was the other side of that wall. It's also not uncommon for me to come home at that time of night and if I'd been sat in my car then there's no doubt I would have been killed."
Mrs Doley said she was watching television when the crash happened.
She described the moments after it, she said: "The whole house shook it was like a bomb going off. There was smoke coming out of the car, it was just shocking."
The driver of the car was taken to hospital with a head injury.
Structural engineers were on site to check over the home. Fire crews called to the scene left at around 1am.
Today, firefighters tweeted an update:
