PAM and John Robinson were quietly watching football on TV when a “huge explosion” vibrated through their home.
A car, driven by a local teenager, had crashed into their garage, early on Saturday evening.
But despite the crash causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and forcing them out of their house, Pam said yesterday: “I am only relieved the driver was unhurt.”
The crash led to the couple having to evacuate their terraced home in Gypsy Lane, Ferryhill, County Durham, for several hours.
Firefighters ordered the evacuation after the crashed car fractured a gas pipe.
Pam said yesterday: “We are so relieved that the car driver, a young man, escaped without any serious injury. The damage can be repaired but a loss of life would have been a tragedy.”
Station manager Robin Turnbull, from Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said it was “a miracle” that the driver had emerged from the wreckage unscathed.
He added: “We were able to extricate the young from his car without any notable injury, which is an absolute miracle. But, when we arrived at the scene there was a strong smell of gas – the collision had fractured a gas -pipe.
“We had to evacuate the householders, who are in their early seventies and who were extremely shocked, while we called out a gas engineer and a structural engineer to make the area safe. The road also had to be closed for several hours.
“I would like to use this incident to urge motorists to be careful on wet roads. The surface was damp on Saturday evening and we believe the driver of the car simply lost control.
“But we are pleased to say the couple were allowed back into their home once the scene had been made safe.”
Pam said: “We were watching the football on TV, West Ham versus Manchester United, when we heard this terrific bang. It was so loud it could be heard several hundred yards away down the road.
“I have never heard anything like it before, it was horrendous. The car had smashed into our garage wall.”
The Seat Ibiza crashed into the garage at around 5.50pm on Saturday.
A police investigation into the cause of the accident is now under way, and any witnesses are asked to call Durham Police on 101.
