'Very close call': Driver crashes into Lowertown home

Ottawa firefighters have removed a car that was driven into a home in Lowertown Saturday morning.

Emergency responders were called to Heney Street near Coburg Street after a driver crashed through the front window of a rowhouse unit just before 11:30 a.m.

Mike Barbeau, a neighbour, told CTV News Ottawa the car was moving very quickly before the crash.

"I was out here shovelling snow. I just lifted up my head and I saw this car coming down at least between 70 to 100 miles an hour, and I hear a bang," he said. 

Barbeau called out for his neighbour, and found him talking with the driver, who was now inside the house.

"Yelled a few times for his name. 'John? John, are you okay?' and I was about to go in the house to see if he was okay and I heard him talking to the person in the vehicle," he said. "As long as he’s okay, that’s all I was worried about."

One person was trapped inside the car and was freed by firefighters. The Ottawa Fire Service (OFS) says everyone in the home exited safely. Video shared by OFS on social media showed the car was well inside the home before it was removed.

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— Ottawa Fire Services (@OttFire) March 12, 2022

Ottawa paramedics said four people were assessed at the scene and two were taken to hospital in stable condition.

Ottawa Fire and Rescue Services Captain Bruce Griffin said the driver and the person inside the home were both able to walk out after the extrication.

"It was a very, very close call," he said. "It’s really launched. He parked it right inside."

Barbeau said he was told the man inside got up just a few minutes before it happened.

"Yeah, he was sitting in his living room and he told me, 'I just moved from where I was sitting to another place in the last five minutes or so, fortunately,'" Barbeau explained.

Structural technicians were called to the property to determine the integrity of the building. The car was later taken out by a tow truck.

"This is why we call the tech rescue guys in," said Griffin. "They’re specialists in collapse so they’re going to make sure that it’s completely safe and that way the towing company can take care of this and get it out with the least amount of damage."

A media release from OFS said there was no additional damage to the home as the car was removed around 1 p.m.

What caused the driver the crash is unknown at this time.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Colton Praill.