Gardaí in Clare have arrested a man following a search after a car ploughed into the porch of a house in the west of the county this afternoon.
The incident happened at Lisdeen on the main N67 Kilrush to Kilkee road at around 1.30pm. A woman, who was the only person in the house at the time, was uninjured.
It is understood that the porch was demolished but little damage caused to the structure of the house.
The car is understood to have left the road a short distance before the house, crashed through a side wall and collided with the porch. The car bounced off the house and into a second garden a wall and was left lying on its side. A tree was also uprooted in the collision.
A view of the house today.
Gardaí rushed to the scene along with units of Kilkee Fire Service and ambulance paramedics. On arrival at the scene emergency services found that the driver, believed to have been the only occupant of the vehicle, had fled the scene.
An extensive search was launched for the man who was feared to have suffered injuries in the collision. One passer-by said the car was ‘absolutely wrecked’ while another is understood to have seen a man with blood on his head exiting the car and leaving the scene.
The man was located by Gardaí a short distance from the scene and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He was taken to Kilrush Garda station where he is being detained.
The N67 road was closed to traffic while emergency services dealt with the incident. The house is located just feet from the busy route.
A forensic examination of the scene was also carried out before the black Volkswagen car was removed for further technical examination.
