Stolen car crashes through house, into another on Montreal's South Shore
'I said, 'Denis, go buy yourself a lottery ticket, my man,' says neighbour of man whose home was crashed into
Huguette Fortier was in bed just after midnight Tuesday, when she heard what sounded like an explosion.
A car had crashed through the small white clapboard home next to hers and into the blue home beside it on Chemin du Lac St-Louis in Léry, a small town near Châteauguay on Montreal's South Shore.
Moments later, her neighbour was knocking on her door — in shock.
Fortier says the man in the white house had been making coffee, part of his bedtime routine, and was heading to bed, when a blue Mazda crashed through his bedroom and living room. It ended up in the blue house's kitchen.
"I swear, it was a matter of seconds. If he had gone into his bedroom, it would have been over [for him]," Fortier told CBC News.
"I said, 'Denis, go buy yourself a lottery ticket, my man."
Fortier spoke on her neighbour's behalf because he was too unnerved to speak with reporters Tuesday morning.
Police say the car was reported stolen in Léry hours later. They found the driver, a 23-year-old man, nearby a little while after the crash. He had serious injuries and was taken to hospital.
He is now in stable condition.
'It's kind of a miracle'
Police spokesperson Nathalie Langevin said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.
Several residents of the quiet riverside road, which runs parallel to Highway 132, said they, too, thought something had exploded.
A group of young people were on the second floor of the blue home, which had its kitchen crashed into. Fortier said they were so scared they jumped from the balcony.
"It's kind of a miracle … that nobody had been injured, except for the driver," Langevin said.