A Kihikihi family had the fright of their lives after a car smashed through their Whitmore St section. Photo / Bethany Rolston
A Kihikihi couple are in shock after a car smashed through their Whitmore St section, sending flying chunks of a fence into their house and two cars.
Waikato police were alerted to the incident in Kihikihi at 12.18am on Wednesday.
Tell and Jercyl Salcedo were asleep when they woke to a loud bang about midnight.
Their 12-year-old daughter Maria Samantha slept through the incident.
"It shook the whole house," Tell says.
"We thought it was an earthquake. But then we heard people's voices right outside our window and realised it was a crash."
The driver had been behind the wheel of a Holden Commodore when he lost control.
He hit a 50km speed sign near the corner of Oliver St and Whitmore St before wreaking havoc through the Salcedos' property.
A front gate, sewer air vent, fence and hedge were damaged in the crash.
Flying debris from the smashed fence shattered four house windows including a window close to Tell's head.
"The window smashed inches from my head," Tell says.
"We are very lucky the car didn't crash into our bedroom where we were sleeping."
The flying debris also damaged two vehicles parked on the property.
The driver then bowled through a neighbour's fence, hitting a garden shed and coming to a stop.
He tried to flee the scene but was detained by residents until police arrived.
The man was taken into custody and is likely to face charges.
The Salcedos have lived at their Whitmore St property for two years and have insurance.
They are thankful no one — including the driver — was hurt in the crash.
Tell, a registered nurse at Waikeria Prison, and Jercyl, a healthcare assistant at Matariki Hospital, both took today off work to clean up the debris.
The family were thankful to neighbours for support.
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