‘It was like an earthquake’: Tractor-trailer carrying gas crashes into Toronto home
Posted January 4, 2022 5:40 am.
Last Updated January 4, 2022 12:56 pm.
A family is grateful to be alive after a tractor-trailer carrying gas crashed into a two-storey home at O’Connor Drive and Sunrise Avenue near Eglinton Avenue on Monday night.
The homeowner, who identified herself as Almas Panjwani, said six people, some of them elderly, were in the home when the crash occurred around 10:30 p.m.
“It was like an earthquake, we were so scared,” said the visibly distraught Panjwani, adding that everyone was asleep at the time.
Fire officials had initially said only one person was at home when the crash took place.
Panjwani said the tanker hit the garage and the main floor of the semi-detached house, causing severe damage.
“We saw the big tanker, it just came into our house … we were in shock … everybody was crying, we were screaming, we were trying to help each other.”
No one inside the home was injured. Panjwani said they will be staying with other family for the time-being.
Three of their vehicles were damaged in the incident and there was a minor fuel leak.
The truck driver, a man in his 50s, was removed from the tractor-trailer by firefighters and paramedics and taken to hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening.
Crews were waiting for structural engineers to arrive to safely remove the truck from the crash site.
It is not yet known what caused the crash.
