Mum of five lucky to be alive

Mar 11 2011 by Bryan Brough, Paisley Daily Express

A RELIEVED mum yesterday told how she cheated death when tonnes of masonry fell from a chimney and flattened her car.

Property consultant Helen Canning revealed that her decision to pop into her office in Johnstone town centre to make a quick phone call saved her life.

Moments after she had parked her car, huge chunks of rubble came crashing down on the £10,000 Volkswagen Touran, leaving it crushed.

Helen, 44, said: “How lucky am I? I was in my car just minutes before this happened.

“I’m still in shock. When I look at my smashed-up car, I realise how fortunate I’ve been.

“The car is a wreck.”

Mum-of-five Helen’s amazing escape happened as powerful winds battered Renfrewshire.

Heavy masonry fell from a chimney stack in High Street, Johnstone, and crashed to the ground below but, miraculously, no-one was hurt.

Some people were evacuated from homes and businesses in Johnstone town centre as a precaution.

Part of High Street was sealed off as efforts continued to make the area safe.

Helen Canning admits that a shiver went down her spine when she saw what had become of her car after it was flattened by tonnes of rubble.

For the mum-of-five knows that – had it not been for a twist of fate – the £10,000 Volkswagen Touran could easily have become her tomb.

Helen had been driving her car through Johnstone town centre just minutes before heavy masonry fell from a chimney stack and crashed onto its roof.

The 44-year-old property consultant would have been in the vehicle had she not decided to pop into her nearby office to make a phone call.

It was a decision that saved her life.

Yesterday, as she stared in disbelief at the wreckage of her car, Helen told the Paisley Daily Express: "It’s frightening to think what might have happened to me if I’d been in there when that chimney stack came crashing down.

"I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what state the car had been left in."

Helen’s amazing escape happened as powerful winds battered Renfrewshire on Wednesday night.

She had parked her car in High Street, Johnstone, shortly before 6pm and popped into her office at Penny Lane estate agents to phone a customer with news about a house.

Just minutes later, she heard a series of deafening thuds.

When she looked outside, there was a gaping hole in the roof of the three-storey tenement across the road and her car was covered with rubble.

Helen, from Houston, recalled: "I heard loud thuds and bangs, followed by a grinding noise. It was scary.

"I also saw cars swerving to avoid debris on the road."

Helen told how Catherine Tenney, who owns a nearby shop, rushed outside to help.

"She stopped traffic and warned drivers about the danger," said Helen. "She did that until the police and firefighters arrived."

The falling masonry came from the top of a tenement at 68 High Street, Johnstone, which was revamped about two years ago following a similar incident.

When the emergency services arrived at the scene, they closed off High Street between its junctions with McDowall Street and Church Street and traffic was diverted.

Shop owner Catherine, who runs Johnstone Alterations and Repairs, was getting ready to close her business for the night when the drama unfolded.

The 45-year-old businesswoman said: "My shop is right across the road from the building where the chimney stack collapsed.

"There was rubble everywhere and most of it was covering Helen’s car.

"She had just parked there and went into her office to make a quick phone call. She’s a very lucky lady.

"It was like a scene from a disaster movie. Debris and boulders were bouncing across the road. It was terrifying.

"If this had happened an hour earlier, when the street was busier, it could have been an absolute disaster."

Ronnie MacKenzie, who runs a butcher’s shop in the High Street, added: "It’s not good news for us that the road has been closed.

"There was a problem with that same building before and it was revamped a couple of years ago. The last time, the road was shut for almost a year and that cost businesses here a lot of money

"How long will we have to suffer for this time?"

Yesterday, workmen from Burnfield Demolition revealed that around five tonnes of masonry from the chimney stack had crashed to the ground.

A huge crane was brought in to lift workers in a cradle up to the side of the damaged building so they could clear away more rubble.

One workman said: "A chimney stack has fallen, probably because of the strong winds, but the good news is that no-one has been hurt."

Last night, a Renfrewshire Council spokesman said they are working to make the High Street building safe.

He added: "This will involve taking the existing masonry back to a safe level and fitting a weatherproof panel.

"We expect that the building’s single resident will be able to return home after staying with friends.

"Pedestrian access is available to most of the shops on High Street but obviously not those in the immediate vicinity of number 68."