Car misses roundabout and crashes into Albert and Frieda’s home: “Everything is broken; windows, bricks, interior cladding…” (Ypres)

The home of Albert Pattyn and Frieda Fiey in De Klijte was seriously damaged on Saturday night after a 21-year-old driver crashed into the facade with his car. The young man miraculously escaped unscathed, but the elderly couple’s home suffered significant damage. “I don’t know how that boy got out of there alive,” resident Albert Pattyn (75) reacts with emotion.

“He drove like crazy, crashed into a concrete block and was catapulted into the corner of our facade”

Albert Pattyn

Resident

Around 1:30 am on Saturday night, a driver in a Mercedes CLA 250 raced at high speed along the Dikkebusstraat, coming from the direction of Ypres. He lost control of his steering wheel, missed the roundabout at the intersection with Reningelstraat and drove almost straight ahead uncontrollably. He rammed a traffic sign and a concrete block with another traffic sign on it, just past the roundabout. The traffic sign was thrown into the air by the collision and landed in a nearby hedge. (Read more below the photo)

The Mercedes was thrown into the air by the impact, spun and then crashed on its roof into the corner of Albert Pattyn and Frieda Fiey’s home. “We heard a loud noise buzze,” says Albert Pattyn. “He immediately drove crazy here, crashed into a concrete block and was catapulted into the corner of our facade. It has been completely destroyed. Also two or three windows, all the upholstery, everything is broken. To take the wrong side of the roundabout, fly over the traffic island and not be able to stop… Was he traveling at 150 kilometers per hour? It wasn’t normal.” (Read more below the photo)

The car came to a stop on its roof and was completely destroyed. The living room inside the house was also damaged by fragments of glass and facade that flew in during the impact. When emergency services arrived, the driver was nowhere to be found. He was found shortly afterwards in the nearby area. To be sure, the 21-year-old young man from Ypres was taken to hospital for a medical check-up. He had been drinking.

“How that boy got out alive, I don’t know,” Albert continues. “It’s the first time we’ve experienced something like this here. A few years ago, a flower box that ended up in front of our front door was hit by a car. There are things that are worse.”“My biggest concern is the color of the bricks, which are still difficult to obtain,” says Albert. “To renew everything and have a stability study carried out on the house, I think the costs will amount to 60 to 70,000 euros.”

The fire brigade took measures to strengthen the facade of the house and cleared away the debris. Wooden panels were installed to seal the damaged facade. The couple can safely remain in the home, the damage is limited to the living room, which is separated from the rest of the home by a corridor.