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House in Mettmann: A large hole can be seen in the outer wall

Photo: Mettmann Fire Department

Because a 66-year-old motorist has rammed a hole in a house wall, a residential building has been evacuated in Mettmann near Düsseldorf. The car had shot backwards from the opposite driveway while maneuvering and had pressed with force a hole of about one square meter in the load-bearing outer wall, police and fire brigade said. In addition, there was a large crack in the wall.

According to the current state of affairs, the driver confused the accelerator and brake pedals, police said. The resident, who was in the kitchen behind it, came away with the same horror as the two occupants of the car.

According to the information, a structural engineer classified the house as endangered: The Federal Agency for Technical Relief then secured it with building supports. The resident of the house had to move to a hotel until further notice, it said. The amount of damage has not yet been determined.

wit/dpa