Five young people are lucky to escape uninjured after a car crashed in Maple Ridge – taking out pillars and stairs, before coming to a rest on a front lawn.
Police raced to the scene, just after 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, along 240th Street, just south of Kanaka Way.
Kim Ensign and Sean Treherne were just about to hit the sack and were lying in bed, watching television, when they heard a loud bang and the whole house shook.
“The sound was so loud. We heard it come from the backyard,” said Treherne, noting that their bedroom window looks out back, and they happened to have the window cracked open.
They checked their backyard cameras and didn’t see anything weird.
Then Treherne decided to check out the front window and yelled to Ensign to get dressed, telling her there was something going on outside.
Ensign was the first down the stairs to open their front door and realized not only were their stairs missing, but that there was a car in their front yard.
The couple ran around to the front of the house to where first responders had already arrived on scene.
There they saw four young female adults, wearing little clothing, with their bodies painted instead with glitter paint. Bystanders gave them housecoats and jackets to wear to keep warm. Ensign said they were laughing, giggling, and talking on their phones.
The driver of the vehicle, they said, was a young adult male, who was fully clothed.
Police told Ensign and Treherne that the driver was travelling east along Kanaka Way, and made a right onto 240th Street before “drifting” off the road.
The car, described as a vehicle resembling a Dodge Charger with Ontario plates, ended up clipping a black light standard on the west side of the street, taking out: three trees, three thick, wooden arbours, fencing, a full set of stairs, and one of the Ensign’s front pillars attached to their house – part of the Cliffstone Row Homes.
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The couple said one witness who stayed on scene was some sort of food delivery person who saw the crash happen in their rear-view mirror.
Ensign noted how the driver was cooperative with police on scene and, she noted he stayed away from the four girls after the accident.
Treherne witnessed the driver taking a breathalyzer test, being handcuffed, and placed in the back of a police cruiser – however he did not see the cruiser leave with the driver.
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Cpl. Julie Klaussner with the Ridge Meadows RCMP confirmed one man was arrested on scene and alcohol impairment is being considered as a contributing factor in the collision.
“If you choose to consume drugs or alcohol plan a safe ride home – consider your options and plan to use public transit, taxis, or a ride share to get you where you need to go safely,” said Klaussner.
“Decide on your safe ride home prior to going out so that you have a plan in place when you want to go home.”
Not only are Ensign and Treherne thankful that nobody was hurt in the accident, but also grateful their house wasn’t fully impacted in the collision.
They are waiting for their insurance company to assess the damage.
Even though the cause of this crash has yet to be determined, the couple shared a bigger concern. They worry about the number of drivers who speed along 240th Street, noting vehicles constantly “ripping” down the road.
Ensign noted that children in the neighbourhood are no longer allowed to play in their front yards due to the potential risk.
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