Car ploughs into Portarlington garage on Newcombe St

A couple has described feeling their house shaking after a car slammed into the side of their garage in Portarlington, leaving the driver trapped inside.

A car has ploughed into a Newcombe St house at Portarlington. Picture: Mark Murray

A “grateful” couple has described feeling their house shaking after a car slammed into the side of their garage in Portarlington on Thursday.

Mark Hammett, 63, and his wife were enjoying the morning sunshine from the second floor of their newly purchased home when they heard a massive crash “like a thunder clap” shortly after 6.40am.

After running downstairs they were shocked to find a black Mazda sedan “half sitting inside” the Newcombe St property with a female occupant trapped.

A car has ploughed into a Newcombe St house at Portarlington. Picture: Mark Murray

“Once we found the car we were concerned someone might have been fatally injured” Mr Hammett said.

“My wife is a nurse, which was handy, so we attended to her and got her out the other door, but she was trapped in there for about five or six minutes.

“It was pretty surreal, it was like a massive thunder clap and the house shook.”

Mr Hammett said they had only just moved to the Bellarine town.

“It’s not an ideal introduction but we are lucky,” he laughed.

“The neighbours have been very supportive to us, and the emergency services and council were fantastic so we are grateful.

“While we love living in Portarlington it is a bit of an initiation by fire.”

The couple’s insurers were boarding up the large hole in their shed on Thursday morning before an assessment was made.

The 62-year-old female driver, from Meadow Heights, was taken to Geelong hospital with minor neck injuries.

A car has ploughed into a Newcombe St house at Portarlington. Picture: Mark Murray

The male passenger was uninjured.

Police and emergency services were called to the home just after 6.45am.

At about 9am, a tow truck could be seen winching the vehicle onto a trailer SES volunteers, secured the area.

Investigators believe the woman driving the car lost control while navigating a pedestrian roundabout.

Residents of the home – who were there at the time of the incident – and a 71-year-old male passenger all escaped uninjured.

The two-storey home overlooks the Portarlington beachfront in the picturesque Bellarine town.

One witness at the scene said it appeared the car lost control and drove through grass on a corner block before smashing into the side of the brick garage.

Originally published as Car ploughs into Portarlington garage on Newcombe St