Cork man whose house was struck by suspected stolen car believes he was minutes from death

Donal Connolly from Turner's Cross had entered his house just before the car crashed into his wall

The damage done by the suspected stolen car to a house in Cork City.

The man whose house was struck by a suspected stolen car in Cork City believes he was just minutes from death as he narrowly avoided the collision. 

Donal Connolly spoke of his shock after finding the crashed car resting on its roof in the drive of his house in the Turner’s Cross area of the city — close to the Taoiseach’s constituency office — on Tuesday night.

Mr Connolly said he had walked home from the city centre along the footpath outside his home just minutes before the car was driven down the hill, cleared a speed bump, and then careered across the footpath, striking his front wall and landing on its roof.

The impact demolished a concrete pillar, sending large chunks of concrete flying into a neighbour's drive.

It also buckled the heavy frame of a metal gate which was embedded in the pillar.

Mr Connolly said: “If I’d been walking along the footpath a few minutes earlier, the car might have hit me. 

"It could have hit anyone on the footpath, but thankfully no one was hurt.

“I came home from town, and went into the house and I was in the back of the house so I didn’t actually hear the impact but was shocked when I answered the door to neighbours and saw the car on the roof.” 

He described the neighbourhood as settled and quiet, with lovely neighbours who look out for each other, and said he had never seen or heard of anything like this.

As he surveyed the damage on Wednesday, he said: “I tried to lift a few of the blocks but they’re fairly heavy. I’d just like to get the wall back to the way it was.” 

His next door neighbour, Galany Mischuk, said everyone in the area was shocked at what had happened.

“I was feeling awful when I heard what happened, but when I was talking to Donal, he said: ‘it’s alright, it’s just a few blocks — thank God the people are alive’,” she said.

Gardaí said they attended the scene of an incident of criminal damage after a car collided with a house. They said the occupants of the car had left the scene before officers arrived.

A unit of Cork City Fire Brigade and paramedics also attended at the scene, with firefighters stabilising the car and helping to make the area safe.

The car was later removed to a secure Garda facility where it has undergone a forensic examination, which has included dusting for fingerprints.

Gardaí said their investigations into the incident were ongoing.