'Thank God my kids were not outside': Driver charged after car crashes through 3 Kitchener, Ont. backyards

A 72-year-old from Kitchener has been charged with careless driving after a vehicle careened off Highland Road West and smashed through the backyards of three homes on Ralgreen Crescent Tuesday afternoon.

According to Waterloo regional police, the driver and two passengers suffered minor injuries. No one else was hurt.

People who live on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener say it could have been a lot worse.

“Thank God my kids were not outside,” says Teresa Johnson. “Because, normally, my little son… he’s normally outside all the time. He likes to be outside.”

Johnson said the only reason her young child was indoors when the crash happened around 2:50 p.m. was because it was so sunny.

Police say the car was travelling west on Highland Road when it left the road and crashed through three backyards.

The vehicle took out several sections of fencing and destroyed Johnson's shed before hitting the back of a house.

“Everything to the ground, and the SUV passed through the other side into the other neighbour’s backyard,” Johnson said.

The car left Highland Road and drove through the backyards of three homes on Ralgreen Crescent. (Submitted)

She said she likely won’t let her kids play in the back until the fence is replaced. But she worries it could happen again and will be on the lookout for anything similar.

“[I'm] a little bit shaken up for now, but hopefully we’ll probably get used to it,” Johnson said.

Ruchi Patel, another Ralgreen Crescent resident, said she heard a "giant noise" and went to her back window where she saw the vehicle had crashed through her neighbour’s fence.

“It was horrifying because if there was somebody on the sidewalk or inside the backyard, he would be gone. It was so bad,” Patel said.

The vehicle took out several sections of fence. (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)