Agent “lucky to be alive” after car smashes through branch window

An estate agent in a branch of Hunters says he’s lucky to be alive after a car containing an elderly couple smashed through his office window.

The incident happened yesterday lunchtime at the Hunters office in Wokingham.

Local media report that agent Ben Polamani had shortly beforehand moved away from his desk, located just where the car crashed through the window.

“I was so lucky, because I’m the one who sits at the front of the office … My desk was pushed all the way back … 

"The paramedics and fire brigade said if the car had hit anybody, they wouldn’t have been alive following the impact” Polamani told the Wokingham Today newspaper and website.

The car is reported to have hit three other vehicles before entering the agency.

No staff member was injured because they were working in a meeting room away from the window, while reports suggest the elderly couple were unhurt and a family at the scene suffered minor injuries.

Another media report cites witnesses saying the car was travelling at speed along the one way system through Wokingham when it collided with three other vehicles before crashing into the building. 

One witness is quoted as saying: "I ran over and opened the door because there was smoke coming out of the vehicle. There was an elderly gentleman and a lady inside. We removed them from the vehicle and started giving first aid to them. They were both in shock."

You can see the Wokingham Today report - and its dramatic photographs - here.