VANCOUVER -- One person was taken to hospital after a motorhome crashed into a house in Surrey Saturday afternoon.
Mounties told CTV News they were called to the intersection of 116 Avenue and 140 Street around 2:45 p.m.
The RV was travelling north on 140 Street when it reached the T intersection at 116 Avenue, but failed to stop or turn, according to Surrey RCMP Staff Sgt. Duane Honeyman.
The vehicle instead plowed straight over the curb, hitting trees and parked vehicles before coming to rest inside the home across the intersection from 140 Street, Honeyman said.
He said the police investigation into what caused the RV to crash is in its early stages, but alcohol and drugs are not believed to have been factors.
Surrey Fire Service battalion chief Spiro Pegios told CTV News the driver of the RV was initially unable to get out and required assistance from fire crews to exit the vehicle. She was taken to hospital with injuries that were believed to be minor, he said.
A spokesperson for BC Emergency Health Services confirmed multiple ambulances were dispatched to the scene and one person was taken to hospital in stable condition.
Honeyman said no one who lives in the home was present when the motorhome collided with it.
Images from the scene show a white van crushed underneath the RV's wheels, as well as significant damage to the home.
"The home is completely unstable," Pegios said. It's actually been dislodged off its foundation in a couple of areas."
The battalion chief said crews were working to find a way to stabilize the house before attempting to tow the motorhome away from the scene.
Garth Howden lives nearby and told CTV News he was watching TV when the crash happened.
"I saw this big sheet of white go by, coming down 140 here, and then all of a sudden I heard a bang and a big puff of smoke," Howden said. "It was pretty loud. It felt like it shook the house ... You couldn't miss it."
He said neighbours were quick to make their way over to check on the home and the driver and to call 911. He said the intersection is at the bottom of a hill and accidents like this one are a local concern, especially during icy conditions in the wintertime.
Howden said something must have gone badly wrong for a crash like Saturday's to happen in the summertime.
On Sunday, CTV News spoke to Dwayne Bitz, who identifed himself as the son of the driver. He confirmed that something had indeed gone very wrong.
“The brakes failed,” Bitz said. “As soon as she aimed for the barriers she blacked out.”
He added that his mother had returned from hospital and is recovering from cuts and bruises.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Emad Agahi
