Hat’s gone a bit wrong! Van is left wearing the roof to a car park entrance after misjudging the gap
- The man watched the mishap unfold in Alphington, Exeter at 11am on Tuesday
- He said he was alerted to an unusual noise before driver was seen swearing
- Fire crews and the AA arrived but were unable to help remove the roof
A resident was left stunned after witnessing a van accidentally take the roof off the entrance to a residential car park.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, watched the mishap unfold in the Alphington area of Exeter at around 11am on Tuesday.
He said he was inside his home but came outside when he heard an unusually loud noise.
Explaining his disbelief, the resident told DevonLive: ‘The driver of the van was helping a friend or a family member move in.
A resident was left stunned after witnessing a van accidentally take the roof off the entrance to a residential car park
‘Suddenly I heard this noise. I can’t even describe it, as soon as I heard it I flew to the window.
‘I saw the driver jump out of the van and he was screaming, effing and blinding.
‘The roof ripped right off the entrance pillars and was on top of the van.’
The man, who did not want to be named, added that he was surprised the accident hadn’t happened already.
He said: ‘Usually that roof is sat up on pillars, and as he has gone to drive through he has made a bad judgment error, at some speed I can imagine, and taken it off.
‘I am surprised it hasn’t happened sooner because when I went outside to see what had happened, I saw that one of the pillars which was in the ground was soaking wet and looked rotten.
‘It’s made me think, with all of the wind that we have had, how hasn’t this happened sooner.’
Fire crews along with AA mechanics arrived around 15 minutes after the van dislodged the roof.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, watched the mishap unfold in the Alphington area of Exeter at around 11am on Tuesday
The resident added: ‘Fire crews turned up and they were puzzled. The AA also turned up but they have both gone now.
‘The van has been moved and cornered off, but it is blocking some spaces for other properties. It looks like it will be there for a while now.
‘I spoke to the driver, he says they are trying to get hold of the car park owners to see if they can pull the roof off of the van, because obviously if they do that it will smash into pieces.’
The resident said he was told by the driver that the van was rented and they may have to pay for a crane to remove the roof.
Speaking to Devon Live, a spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and
Rescue Service confirmed they had been on the scene.
A spokesperson said: ‘Middlemore crew attended the incident from 11.15am – 12.21pm.
‘They made sure the vehicle was safe. There was no major damage to the roof.’