Car crashes into house after driver's fatal heart attack

An Auckland man has spoken of his desperate attempts to free a man whose car ploughed into a neighbouring house yesterday.

Francis Talifolau, 20, of Mt Roskill, was at home about 11.30am when he heard screams from across the road.

"I just heard a lady screaming, just one loud scream and I looked outside and I was just shocked. It was like, 'Oh man, it's a car crash'."

Mr Talifolau, his brother and their father rushed across the street to help.

The female occupant of the house was phoning 111 and told Mr Talifolau and his brother what to do.

"She was crying and on the phone to the nurse. Me and my brother were on the driver's side, trying to open the door, but it was jammed.

"My heart was beating hard out, the guy was just hunched over with his seatbelt on and my brother had to smash the window with a rock.

"I could see a carseat so I was just looking everywhere, looking for a little kid, but there was no one," Mr Talifolau said.

The two brothers and their father pulled the man out of the vehicle and laid him on the grass.

Paramedics arrived within minutes of the accident and worked on the man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sergeant Steve Chung, of Balmoral police, said there were no visible injuries on the man and it appeared he had died of natural causes.

Mr Talifolau said a crowd from a nearby food market arrived soon after the crash, and one man in the crowd appeared to know the dead man.

"He was just like, 'Hey, that's my brother-in-law'.

"He ran [to the market] to get his sister - the man's wife - and when she got here, she was just howling and crying. People were trying to calm her down."

It is believed the 46-year-old driver, who had been travelling north along Sandringham Rd - had a heart attack while driving.