Tipton neighbours speak of relief after lorry crashes inches from their flats
A one-legged West Bromwich Albion fan who had a lucky escape when a 30-ton lorry crashed through his garden narrowly missing his living room has spoken of his relief.
Donny Shinn, 66, was unable to move from his settee when the lorry ploughed through a wall, uprooted a tree and pushed up against his row of flats in Tipton.
He said: "I was watching television when I heard this almighty crash and bang. I could not move from my settee so am lucky the lorry missed my living room by inches.
"I only had a heart attack before Christmas and am lucky I did not have another one. I looked out the window and there was a massive dust cloud, I couldn't see a thing, only when it cleared did I see the huge lorry outside the flat.
"The huge tree outside my window had been uprooted and was up against my neighbours flat."
The tree helped slow down the lorry and prevented it crashing into the flats, it came to rest less than a metre from the flats.
He added: "My carer was lucky, she was parked there 30 seconds before, it is a miracle no-one died. The driver seemed OK, he was wandering around afterwards."
Donny has followed his beloved Albion home and away for decades, still going to games after he lost his leg two and a half years ago and is looking forward to going to matches again after recovering from his heart trouble.
He said: "I certainly would have had a tale to tell down the game if I was going this weekend."
Neighbour at the Chillington Road flats Gail Manning, age 53, could not sleep all night worrying about the crash which pushed a tree up against her window.
She said: "I suffer with anxiety and this is the last thing I need. I already had a stressful day trying to get credit for my pre-paid electric meter so when I got home I just went to bed, and then crash!
"I could not believe how close the lorry was, it had pushed the tree right up against my window, it smashed the lady's windows upstairs."
She added: "My friend was telling me how lucky I am, but I don't feel lucky, it has been something else to worry about. If the tree had not slowed down the lorry it could have killed me.
"The weird thing is last week, I was sitting her with a friend and we thought we could see a shape of a face in the tree leaves and I said 'imagine if a lorry came through the window?'. I phoned her up last night and they could not believe it happened.
"The road is so busy."
The articulated lorry had been driving along Leabrook Road, Ocker Hill, around 6.45pm when it crashed into the gardens of the flats on Chillington Road.
West Midlands Police and Fire Services attended the scene and the lorry was removed by 10pm.
