Family 'shocked' after car crashes into Bylchau home

Ben and Sarah Tooke were in bed watching TV at 11.30am when they heard an “almighty crash” at the front of their home, situated on the A543 which is part of the notorious Evo Triangle.

The couple, who live in Bylchau with their four children, aged 20, 17, 14 and 11, opened the front door to find a mesh of hedges and fencing scattered across their front porch.

The car ploghed through fancing and hedges before hitting the corner of the house.

Mr Tooke, 44, who owns a garage business in Rhyl, stepped outside to see a smoking car suspended in the air against the corner of the house, full-beam headlights glaring and engine still revving.

He instinctively thought about the driver’s safety, running towards the car and dragging himself up into the passenger door.

“It was big shock,” he said. “We’d just settled down for bed when we heard this almighty crash outside the house. I had a feeling I knew what had happened and I ran to the front door, opening it to see bushes and fencing everywhere and the car four foot in the air against the house.

“I clambered into the car and there was a lot of smoke, I thought it might have been in the early stages of a fire. There was really loud music playing and I was surprised to see it was a man in his early 60s.

“I leant over to the driver’s seat to turn off the engine and check his vital signs, he was still breathing but completely out of it, I think he had been unconscious. He started to come round and I told him to keep still, he was in a lot of discomfort around his abdomen and lower back.

“Sarah and my eldest son called the police, fire and ambulance as it was clear all three were going to be needed. We told the two youngest to stay in the house and look after the dog because we didn’t want them to get upset.

The Tooke's home is situated on the A543, part of the notorious Evo Triangle.

“I started prompting details from him to take his mind off the situation, he said he is a plasterer and I joked that I need my walls doing, and said I own a garage and can do him a deal.”

About 30 members of the police, fire and ambulance services attended. Police the road as firefighters cut off the roof of the car and pulled out the man, who was then treated by medics.

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were called to a one vehicle road traffic collision at 11.32pm. We sent two crews, from Denbigh and Abergele.

“The crews extricated one person using cutting equipment. They were taken to hospital by ambulance.”

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at approximately 11.45pm to reports of a road traffic collision in Bylchau.

“We responded with one rapid response vehicle and one emergency ambulance, where one person was taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital.”

Firefighters cut off the roof of the car to rescue the man, before he was taken to hospital.

Mr Tooke, who managed to sleep three hours that morning, said: “There has been structural damage done to the house but we will need to have it inspected before we know the extent. A road sign was also snapped, I assume by the car, and a metal shard had flown into and pierced the hot tub in our garden.

“Sarah was the first on scene after the tragic crash in Denbigh which killed three teenagers, where she gave first aid, so it was traumatic for her afterwards and she had memories come flooding back to her.

“Fortunately this happened late at night because a neighbour could have been in their garden or another car could have been travelling in the other direction. Sarah and I are back in work and the kids are OK.

"You can put the house back together, but it can’t always be done with people."

A North Wales Police spokesperson said: "We were called to a collision involving one vehicle in Bylchau at 11.25am. The A543 was closed from its junction with the A544 towards Pentrefoelas.”

The road was reopened at 5.45am once the car and debris were cleared.