IT was like groundhog day when David Bullock ventured out of his home in upper Rocket Street on Sunday morning.
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The corner section of his brick front fence was in pieces and the culprit had also collected the neighbour’s Colorbond fence.
But Mr Bullock is no stranger to reckless driving.
The Western Advocate’s front page of November 9, 2013 reported a similar incident in which a large portion of the fence was smashed.
“Here we go again,” Mr Bullock said yesterday.
“It seems like they only just fixed the fence yesterday. It’s had a chequered career over the years. This is the fourth time it’s been crunched in the 40 years I have been living here.
“Last time the car was coming down the hill on Rocket Street, though. This time they were coming up the hill. I can tell you they must have been belting along. The car mounted the kerb about 20 metres away and, judging by the damage, still hit it pretty hard.”
Mr Bullock said he has poor hearing and didn’t hear the collision when it happened some time on Saturday night.
“They bolted, so that makes me think the driver must have been drinking,” he said. “I do know the vehicle was a maroon red late model Ford Falcon because one of the headlights was lying on the ground, as well as plenty of the front end.
“The police said that if anyone notices a damaged car fitting this description, they should notify them immediately.”
Mr Bullock wasn’t surprised that the driver of the car didn’t hang around.
“You hear about it all the time,” he said. “Downtown people back into another car and just take off. There was a time when you would leave your contact details behind so things can be sorted out.
“Now I’ve got the hassles of having to deal with the insurance people all over again. The last time this happened it took six months or more to get the damage fixed.”
Mr Bullock said that section of Rocket Street is known for its crashes as it narrows at a bend in the road at the intersection with Tremain Avenue.
Sergeant Peter Foran from Bathurst Highway Patrol said yesterday that the location in Rocket Street was a tricky piece of roadway, but advised motorists it was all about driving to the conditions.
“It’s commonsense. Slow down,” he said. “Most people who travel that section of Rocket Street know what the road’s like. It hasn’t changed in decades.
“That location isn’t a black spot, just somewhere where you need to take it easy when you are behind the wheel.”
