A father calling for urgent safety measures at a notorious crossroads said his family could have been killed when a car ploughed into their dining room.
Christian Dean, his wife and daughter, were eating lunch an hour before the room was destroyed by a Volvo which had veered off the road after colliding with a van at Kinninvie, near Barnard Castle.
Read more: Car ploughs into house after horrific crash at notorious County Durham crossroads
Christian, 51, said: “We are both shaken. It is a complete mess and I am finding it hard to ignore the reality of what could have happened.
“We were in the living room, thankfully, but had it been less than an hour earlier we were having lunch in there.
“That is the bit I am struggling with. If we were having lunch when the accident happened we would, without a doubt, all be dead.
“It looked like a bomb site.”
Emergency services were called shortly after 1.30pm on Wednesday to the tiny hamlet on the B6279, between Staindrop and Eggleston.
Christian, who lives with Jen, 52, and 30-year-old Jessica, said he heard and noise and saw debris flying past the living room window.
He said he was immediately aware there had been an accident of some kind.
Christian said: “There was a loud bang and a shake so I had no idea what to expect.
“I went out of the back and walked around to the front of the house and I saw the picture everyone will be familiar with of the van on the corner and the car sticking out of the dining room wall.
“I could not believe what I was looking at.”
Read more: Video shows shocking crash between car and van at notorious County Durham crossroads
No-one was seriously injured in the crash but the damage to the building is extensive.
Christian said: “The lad was already out of the van and the woman came climbing out of the boot of her car because it was the only way out.
“They were both fine with no physical injuries but were a bit shaken as far as I could see.”
Christian, who has lived in the house since 2019 said he understands it is ninth incident of this kind in the last 20 years.
He said: “The house was hit in a similar fashion just before we moved in three years ago.
“But as far as I am aware a car has never been right through the wall into the house before. It can never be allowed to happen again.”
The incident brought back painful memories for the couple as their 21-year-old son, Jamie, was fatally injured as a passenger in car crash in 2016.
Christian said: “We have a personal history of dealing with the aftermath of terrifying accidents.
“It does not make me any more calm and the fact that no-one was killed this time seems like more of a miracle.”
Four-way temporary traffic lights have been installed since the crash but CCTV in the area has shown cars travelling on the B6279 while lights at the junction are green.
Christian said: “I can’t say exactly what measures should exactly be put in place but maybe several would be better.
“A four-way traffic light junction might be going too far but certainly there should be a physical barrier to people driving fast in any direction when there are houses so close to the road.
“There are always unforeseen circumstances that can cause an accident but speed is always an issue so there needs to be something to force people to slow down.
“I would certainly want a barrier next to the house, some sort of crash barrier on the corner in the event of something unforeseen happening.
“The idea of something coming into the house again is just terrifying.”
The junction is well known in the area for collisions and almost 1,000 people have previously signed a petition, backed by MP Dehenna Davison, calling for action to improve safety.
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Durham County Council is in talks with Durham Constabulary about what action should be taken.
Mark Jackson, Durham County Council’s head of transport and contract services, said: “We’ve currently got temporary traffic lights on all entrances to the crossroads to enable structural repairs to be made to the property that was damaged in last week’s collision.
“We’ve put a number of additional measures in place at and around the crossroads in recent years, all of which meet design standards and in the case of new signs, far exceed what would normally be expected at a rural junction.
“We are working with the police to look at whether any further measures could be introduced, in line with government guidance and legislation.”
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