‘Don’t drink and drive’: Trail of destruction ends with truck into house, impaired charges laid

St. Patrick’s Day literally started off with a bang.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. Sunday, a Chevy Silverado pickup truck left a trail of destruction along Berkshire Drive in London, Ont. which resulted in an F150 pickup truck crashing into the side of a townhome. 

“We heard a huge bang outside which I thought was thunder,” said Christie Savage, who lives two doors down from where the collision occurred.

She continued, “We came outside and three men from a truck were laying injured and you could tell the one was extremely intoxicated and didn’t even know what was going on. He was laughing about it.”

Neighbours told CTV News London they could hear the Silverado going at a high rate of speed east on Berskshire Drive. When it arrived at Topping Lane, it left the road.

“It went up the curb here, across the lawn, took the railing off the steps, took the front off the side of the house, bounced off a parked car, and straight through, smashing the neighbour’s vehicle and put it through the wall,” said Nate Segee, who was one of the first on scene.

A Ford F150 pickup truck was slammed through the side of a townhouse on Berkshire Drive in London, Ont. on March 17, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

When the parked F150 slammed through the wall, it destroyed the staircase of 741 Berkshire Dr. The London Fire Department had to bring an aerial truck to evacuate the grandmother, son and granddaughter from the upper level of the home.

When the Silverado left the road, it took out an eight-foot sign for Berkshire Village.

Ironically it reads, “Thank you for driving responsibly in our neighbourhood.”

A few hours later the involved Silverado was towed away. The parked F150 was still in the side of the house, and a large crack began to form in the brick leading to the upper floor front window.

The three men from the Silverado were all taken to hospital with unknown injuries. Neighbours said the 25-year-old driver had a broken leg, while a passenger had a number of cuts to his face, and the other passenger needed medical treatment as well.

A sign knocked down by a truck on March 17, 2024 in London, Ont. reads, “Thank You for driving responsibly through our neighborhood.” (Source: Christie Savage)

“Emergency services were dispatched to an address on Berkshire for a motor vehicle collision,” said Const. Dylan Brown of the London Police Service.

“Two passengers and the driver of one of the vehicles was transported to hospital with unknown injuries at this time,” he explained. “The driver has been charged with impaired and refusal.”

On Sunday morning, engineers were on scene to check on the structural integrity of the home, and Sifton Properties employees were cleaning up all the debris that was scattered from the incident.

“Luckily no one was injured to the point it was fatal,” said Savage. “It’s St. Patrick’s Day, don’t drink and drive!” 

The staircase of a home on Berkshire Drive in London, Ont. was knocked in when a truck slammed into the side of the house on March 17, 2024. The tenants had to be evacuated with an aerial truck by London Fire Department (Source: Nate Segee)