Elderly Woman Crashes into Garage in Freak Accident

An “elderly woman” crashed into a duplex garage in Mission Viejo today just as a man was backing out it, landing her in a local hospital, an Orange County Fire Authority captain said.

The car crashed into a duplex garage in the 27700 block of Paguera in Mission Viejo about 2 p.m., Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said.

The owner of the home was about to back out of the garage when the collision happened, Concialdi said.

The crash severed a gas line, “and he could smell gas and hear the hissing sound, so he had to crawl through the passenger-side window out of his car to escape,” Concialdi said.

The woman in the other car was trapped and firefighters had to pull her out her while others crawled under the car to reach a switch to shut off the gas, Concialdi said.

The crash damaged gas and electric meters, leaving some live wires exposed, Concialdi said.

Firefighters also had to “shore up” the garage while rescuing the woman, Concialdi said.

The woman was taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo in moderate condition, he said.

City News Service