Baby safe after car slams into house

A baby has narrowly avoided death after a car slammed into the room she was sleeping in, an escape her mother is calling a "miracle".

Fifteen-month-old Catarina Kingston had been put to bed just after 2.30am when a car crashed into the front room of the house in Omokoroa, about 20km west of Tauranga.

Catarina's mother Anna said it was not an experience she would like repeated. "It's amazing she's alive."

Her husband Michael had just settled the baby when he heard a car "screaming" down the street.

"All of a sudden there was this almighty bang," Anna said, as the car tore through the front wall of the house.

She then heard crying from Catarina's room and thought, "thank God she's alive".

A chair in the room was catapulted from the corner of the room which landed cushion side down on Catarina's cot.

"She was sitting up in the cot with the chair on top of her," Anna said.

The couple were in the next room, and Anna said if the car's path was five degrees another way it would have hit them.

"It's a miracle that we're all okay."

The front of the car protruded into the room and the bonnet was "stoved in".

Anna said a dent on the front of the car made it clear where it had hit a water pipe.

Police said this water pipe stopped the car and saved Catarina's life.

Anna said the driver was "stunned" and then tried to start the car up.

"I thought, you've got to be kidding me."

The man then ran off.

Police in Tauranga were still investigating the incident.

A spokesman said no charges had been laid but the driver would be spoken to.

He said the occupants of the house were staying at another address.

Police said the car could not be pulled from the side of the house until the site had been checked by a builder.

It was removed yesterday afternoon.

They said the car might have caused major structural damage and experts were called in to ensure the house was stable before moving the car.

The car took out one of the main support beams in the house, Anna said, and builders had to put in supports to get the car out.

"We were looking to renovate but not so dramatically."

Builder Daniel Blok was helping to repair the house.

Although there was no front door or front room any more, he said it could be repaired. There was structural damage but it was not too serious.