A quiet Thursday morning in East Kilbride turned to chaos when a grey Vauxhall Corsa crashed into another car and then ploughed straight through a metal fence into a ground-floor tenement garden. The female driver was taken to hospital, leaving residents stunned and police appealingily investigating.
The crash happened just after 8.10am on Westwood Road, right opposite Westwood Square Shopping Precinct, on 12 February 2026.
Eyewitnesses described hearing an enormous bang before seeing the grey car mounted on the crumpled fence with debris scattered across the garden and pavement.
Emergency services arrived within minutes. Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and Scottish Ambulance Service all attended the scene. Officers closed part of the road for several hours while recovery took place.
The woman, who was driving the grey car, was the only person injured. Paramedics treated her at the scene before rushing her to University Hospital Wishaw. As of Thursday afternoon, Police Scotland said her condition is not believed to be life-threatening, though official updates on her recovery have not yet been released.
Local resident Margaret McAllister, 68, watched the aftermath from her kitchen window.
“I thought someone had driven into the building at first,” she told us. “The noise was unreal. The poor womans car was halfway into the garden. You just dont expect that on your own street when youre making a cup of tea.”
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the fence has been a safety feature for years.
“That railing has stopped cars coming into the gardens plenty of times over the years,” he said. “This is the first time one has actually gone clean through it. Its terrifying to think what could have happened if kids had been playing there.”
The driver of the second vehicle involved did not require hospital treatment.
Police Scotland confirmed officers are still establishing the full circumstances of the collision. No arrests have been made and enquiries remain ongoing.
A force spokesperson said: “Around 8.10am on Thursday, 12 February 2026, we were called to a report of a two-vehicle crash on Westwood Road, East Kilbride. Emergency services attended and a woman was taken to hospital for treatment. Road policing officers are investigating.”
This incident comes just weeks after concerns were raised about road safety in the Westwood area. In January 2026, local councillor Gladys Ferguson-McCabe called for traffic calming measures near the shopping precinct after several near-misses were reported.
Residents say morning traffic often builds up quickly as shoppers and parents doing the school run use Westwood Road as a cut-through.
One local mum told us: “Its always busy here between 8 and 9am. People fly down that road. Something like this was waiting to happen.”
The damaged fence has now been temporarily secured while South Lanarkshire Council assesses whether it needs full replacement. The garden belongs to a housing association property, and repairs are expected to begin next week.
Thursday afternoons scene was a far cry from the usual calm. Shoppers stood in small groups watching the recovery truck winch the grey Corsa back onto the road, its front end heavily damaged and airbag deployed.
For the tight-knit Westwood community, the crash has served as a stark reminder of how quickly everyday journeys can turn dangerous.
One resident summed it up: “We all drive these roads every day. Seeing that car in someones garden really brings it home. We just hope the lady makes a full recovery.”
Police have urged anyone who witnessed the crash or has dash-cam footage to contact them on 101 quoting incident number 0628 of 12 Wednesday.
