‘Thought it was a bomb’: Moment parking error led to car crashing through barrier, flipping onto Balmoral Beach
The cause of a shocking crash involving a car ploughing through a concrete barrier and flipping onto a popular beach has been revealed.
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Sunbathers at a busy Sydney beach have narrowly avoided being crushed by a car after it crashed through a concrete barrier trying to leave a parking spot.
Emergency services were called to The Esplanade in Mosman following reports a car had hit a concrete wall in a car park and rolled over onto Balmoral Beach, on the city’s north shore.
The car was being driven by a P-plater at the time.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said a woman in her 30s was treated for an injury to her head while the passenger – a man in his 50s – was assessed on scene.
Both were treated and released, the ambulance spokesman confirmed.
No-one else at the beach was injured and a NSW Police spokesman said no arrests had been made, nor charges laid.
Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command subjected the driver to a roadside breath test, which returned a negative result.
The vehicle will be recovered this afternoon.
Acting Inspector Sean Donnelly said the driver was practicing her parking, and was leaving a parking space when the accident occurred.
“In doing so, the vehicle has come up onto the grassed area before going onto the beach area and flipping over,” he told media.
“It has gone nose-in and as it has gone over through the brickwork it has tipped over onto its roof.
“It is a beautiful day and school holidays with a lot of people around, it is very lucky no one was injured.”
Sunbathers packed the shore, with some couples and families sitting just metres away from where the green Kia Seltos landed.
It is understood a child seat was located in the vehicle.
One witness at the scene initially thought a “bomb” had gone off as they lay sunbathing.
“It was a beautiful sunny day and then all of a sudden we heard a loud bang,” the woman told NCA NewsWire.
“At first I thought it might have been a bomb, it was so loud.
“I turned around and saw this car crash into the sand, concrete flying everywhere.”
It is understood the Kia flipped on its roof and was being driven by a P-plater.
In a post on their Facebook page, North Shore Mums said there was no-one under the car when it crashed through the wall.
Their post reads: “The driver and passenger seem OK, just shocked. Very scary!”
“My kids were close when the car smashed through the wall and said it was very loud. Terrifying how quickly and randomly something like this can happen.”
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a loud bang as the car crashed through the barrier.
One said the crash happened close to a couple sitting in beach chairs and a family in a tent.
“I have no idea how it happened, the road is miles away from the beach and then there‘s bins in front of the concrete barrier as well so it’s just bizarre,” the witness said.
She said no one was injured, but a beachgoer had run over to help the occupant of the car get out.
“It was a blur, it’s super lucky no one was there at the time they would’ve been killed,” she said.
Kia Seltos’ are small SUV cars which retail from about $30,000.
The crash happened on the first day of school holidays in NSW, which runs until October 6.
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Originally published as ‘Thought it was a bomb’: Moment parking error led to car crashing through barrier, flipping onto Balmoral Beach
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