Horrifying moment runaway bin lorry crashes into house killing driver, 29, and critically injuring boy, 11, and ‘dad’
THIS is the horrific moment a runaway bin lorry crashes into a house, killing the driver and critically injuring an 11-year-old boy and a man believed to be his dad.
CCTV taken from a neighbouring home in Kidbrooke, South East London, shows the green lorry travelling at speed along a residential road before smashing into a car and swerving across the carriageway.
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It then crashes into a Land Rover Freelander before ploughing into the house.
The video shows the black car being thrown to one side by the force of the lorry.
Witnesses say the boy and an adult man, believed to be the youngster's father, were inside the car preparing to drive to school when the lorry hit the vehicle.
The car then careered into the side of the house.
The vehicle sustained huge damage, including a crumpled dent to the passenger side.
A number of people were hurt during the terrifying incident, which happened during the morning rush hour.
The driver of the industrial bin lorry was cut free from the cab by firefighters. Tragically, the man - who was just 29 - couldn't be saved.
Residents say they heard a bang 'like a bomb going off' as the incident unfolded just after 8am.
One man, who lives nearby, said: "You just can't believe it's happened.
"The sound of it was like a bomb going off.
"It looked like the lorry was out of control.
"It makes me wonder if the lorry driver had fallen ill."
This afternoon, the distraught homeowner sat on a wall watching officers searching for clues in the rubble of his home.
The green industrial bin lorry had smashed into the side of the property and ploughed into the front room.
One theory being investigated by Scotland Yard is the possibility the lorry driver may have suffered a medical episode while behind the wheel.
One neighbour said: “Officers told me he might have had a medical issue - they think a heart attack or a stroke or something like that.
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“With all the speed bumps down this road, I have no clue how someone could race down it at speed.”
A woman who lives nearby said: “The father and son were on their way to school when they were hit.
“I just hope they pull through."
Eyewitnesses saw casualties being stretchered across the A2 Rochester Way.
A builder whose van was written off in the crash said he was getting ready to go to work when he heard a "huge smash".
The 35-year-old, who asked not to be named, said the trail of destruction stretches for around half-a-mile.
He added: "I saw the 11-year-old boy get pulled out of the Land Rover.
"He was stretchered out and I never saw him move. It didn't look good and he was unconscious. It's terrible.
"The lorry must have smashed into the passenger side which the boy was sitting in and spun it into the house.
"His dad was bleeding loads from his head and was taken away in an ambulance."
Mum-of-two Toni Pankhurst, 42, said she was "woken up like it was the Blitz".
"There was this massive bang and then the sound of the helicopter hovering overhead," she said.
Toni says she saw a man - believed to be the boy's father - with blood pouring from his face.
The truck was "embedded in the house" by the force of the collision, she said.
Detective Constable Neil Webb of the Met Police's roads and transport policing command called for anyone with information to come forward.
“This was a traumatic incident and my thoughts are with those involved and their loved ones," he said.
“We are conducting extensive enquiries into what happened, and I’m keen to hear from witnesses and those with dash-cam or CCTV footage of the incident.
"Please help us piece together what happened.”
Police said they were called to the scene at around 8.05am.
“An 11-year-old child was taken to hospital. Their condition has been assessed as life-threatening," the spokesperson said.
"Two males have been taken to hospital. We await an update on their condition.“Sadly one man has been declared dead at the scene."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said four ambulance crews, medics in cars, an advanced paramedic and the hazardous area response teams were sent to the scene, along with the air ambulance.
“Working closely with other emergency services at the scene, we assessed six patients," they said.
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