A passenger has told of the moment the van she was travelling in crashed into a Kirkcaldy home – rupturing a gas pipe.
Residents feared their houses could be “blown up” after the crash on Overton Mains on Tuesday afternoon.
Four properties were evacuated just after 4pm.
Ruth Fotheringham, 77, a passenger in the vehicle involved, was taken to Victoria Hospital after suffering a leg injury.
She told The Courier: “I was getting a lift home from my next-door neighbour when the crash occurred.
“She was parking up when suddenly the van shot forward, mounting the pavement.
‘All I can remember was an almighty bang’ as van crashed into Kirkcaldy home
“It then crashed through her front garden before smashing head-on into the front of her house.
“All I can remember was an almighty bang.
“I was in total shock and jumped straight out of the van then called 999.
“It was only later that I realised I’d hurt my leg quite badly.
“Paramedics assessed my injuries and took me to the Vic to get checked out.
“I had my leg x-rayed but thankfully I’ve only suffered severe bruising.
“It was a freak accident and I’m just glad nobody was more seriously hurt.”
Another Overton Mains resident said he was sitting watching television when he heard a loud bang.
He said: “At first, I thought someone had kicked my bins over as it was a loud bang.
“Then I looked outside and there was a lot of commotion, and I could see a van stuck into the front of my neighbour’s house.
“Within minutes there were police cars and fire engines everywhere and several ambulances too.
Kirkcaldy crash ‘like something out of a disaster movie’
“There were flashing blue lights everywhere and it looked like something out of a disaster movie.
“A short time later, police said we would have to evacuate our homes because there was a strong smell of gas.
“We were out of our homes for over three hours as there was a fear our houses could be blown up due to a damaged gas main.
“It was all quite incredible and pretty frightening – definitely not something you would expect in such a small, quiet cul-de-sac.”
Residents have praised the emergency services for their swift response.
Ruth added: “Police, paramedics and the firefighters were all amazing and were so good at getting everyone out of their homes and safe.
“We’ve been told the house could take several months to repair due to the extent of the structural damage.
“It even took the recovery over an hour to get the van out of the house as it had embedded itself in the garden due to the impact.”
Dan Brown, spokesman for gas firm SGN, said: “We were called to Overton Mains on Tuesday evening after a vehicle collided with a property’s gas service pipe.
“Our engineers cut off the service pipe at the gas main and we made it safe.
“Four properties were evacuated as a precaution to begin with.
“Residents of three properties were able to reoccupy around 7pm once our engineers had ensured there were no gas readings.
“The owner of the property hit by the vehicle remained evacuated due to the damage sustained.”
A Police Scotland Spokesperson said: “Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the crash.
“Residents have been returned to their homes.”
