(La Porte, IN) - A car struck a house in La Porte yesterday and came to rest on the home’s outdoor natural gas meter.
With gas leaking, firefighters used inflatable bags to safely lift the car off the meter and shut off the gas.
Assistant Fire Chief Zach Kanney said the gas could not be turned off until after the car was removed because the shut-off valve wound up buried in the ground from the impact and weight of the vehicle.
He said the car was lifted to prevent any sparks that might occur from the metal on the car and meter rubbing against each other, which would carry a risk of igniting the low to moderate amount of natural gas escaping into the air from a break in a service line.
“That’s how we were able to do it successfully with the help of others,” he said.
Kanney said the driver was not injured. The collision happened about 3 p.m. in the area of Briarwood Circle and 18th St.
Kanney said inflatable bags are carried on the fire trucks just in case they’re needed at a moment’s notice but vehicles coming to rest on a gas meter happens just occasionally.
The collision caused only minor damage to the structure. Further details about the accident were not readily available from La Porte Police.
