CALEDONIA—A local family has been forced out of their home during the holidays due to damage caused by a dump truck colliding full speed into the side of their house. The collision occurred at the intersection of Haldimand Road 9 and York Road in the late afternoon of November 26, 2025.
The driver – the only reported injury in the collision – was taken from the scene by ambulance. No update was available from the OPP on their condition at press time.
Area resident Ian Hunter sent photos of the accident to The Press the following day, noting, “The truck was removed, and the side of the house has been boarded up…. The truck travelled quite a distance through the side yard of the property before hitting the house.”
Requesting anonymity, one of the homeowners shared that her husband and two of their children were home at the time of the crash.
“It went straight down the ditch, through my fence, through my yard, took out my metal dome climber, my wooden climber, and my canoe, and hit the house full force,” said the owner. “Police said there were no skid marks, no break marks. It didn’t look like it was stopping.”
The truck hit with such force that a toilet in an upstairs bathroom went flying, spraying water everywhere while one occupant was in the bathtub. Downstairs, a foundation wall collapsed inward, destroying one of the children’s bedrooms.
“My daughter wasn’t there. Had she been there, there would be nothing left of her,” said the owner, noting that all family members and pets are safe, despite some initial concerns about a missing cat that was discovered alive and well 24 hours after the crash. “That one outer wall that’s in her room, I don’t even know how they’re going to remove it. It’s still in one piece. The whole wall literally tipped forward.”
While the family has found a place to stay in the meantime, they anticipate it could take months before they can return home.
Despite this challenge, the family is choosing to remain thankful.
“What are you going to do? Getting upset doesn’t fix anything. It’s a house. It’s not the building that makes your home – it’s the people in it,” said the owner. “Stuff can be replaced, walls can be fixed, floors can be fixed, they’ll be repainted, put new windows in, that can be fixed.”
They noted this is the third time this year a vehicle has gone off the road and ended up on their property.
“Someone went through my fence in March and the car stayed in the yard and the person took off; they left their car,” the owner recalled, noting a similar accident happened again later in the summer. “Both times it’s cost me money because I have to pay my deductible and my insurance.”
The family began investigating solutions and were told they could be liable if a driver injured themselves hitting a barrier set up by the homeowners, such as large rocks. They approached Haldimand County about the issue, requesting a change to the speed limit or the addition of flashing lights, a guard rail, or other safety measures. So far, no such action has been taken.
“I want it out there that something needs to be done with this road. This can’t keep happening,” they said. “This is ridiculous. No person or animal has been hurt yet, but what are they waiting for? Someone to die?”
Following the collision, the family said someone from the County contacted them, pledging to look into ways to calm traffic in the area. The Press requested additional details from the County; an update will be provided when the response is received.
For the owner, it’s too little, too late: “We were trying to get it looked at before this happened and we were denied.”
