A WODONGA family’s home was yesterday badly damaged by a four-wheel-drive, just hours after it was sold.

Plasterboard was shattered, bricks scattered and Christmas presents destroyed when the Toyota Land Cruiser ploughed into the back of the Porta Court house about 12.30pm.

The driver, who is believed to have suffered a heart attack, also had a lucky escape in the crash.

Planks on his trailer speared through the back window of his vehicle and somehow missed his head.

Owners Rachael and Darren Simmons arrived home to the shocking sight after police called them.

They had just sold the four-bedroom home for about $350,000 and now will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation organised by their insurance company.

The driver of the four-wheel-drive was towing a tradesman’s trailer when he suffered a heart attack and his Toyota veered across Yarralumla Drive in south Wodonga.

The Toyota knocked down a backyard fence and slammed into the house’s bathroom and wine cellar before stopping in the lounge room.

The Simmons shuddered to think of what might have happened if they had been home with their son, Henley, 12.

Their first thought was of the driver, 63, who was taken to Albury hospital.

“We are pleased he wasn’t seriously injured,” Mrs Simmons said.

“I’m just really glad no one was hurt — it’s just material stuff.

“It’s inconvenient, but everyone is OK.”

Mrs Simmons, who had been at work at Hairworks Hair & Beauty Supplies, said Henley had cried when he saw the house the family had built and lived in for 11 years reduced to rubble.

Mr Simmons, who was told of the crash while on a Yackandandah school trip with his son, said the main thing was his family was safe.

“We can rebuild the house,” he said. “We just lost some wine.”

A Mars Pet Care associate producer, Mr Simmons said he had received a phone call from his solicitor just hours before the crash confirming paper work for the sale of the house had been finalised.

He said he didn’t want to hold the buyers, who he knew, to the sale.

Wodonga’s Sen-Constable David Young said alcohol had been ruled out as a cause.

“It’s lucky no pedestrians or bike riders were on the path at the time,” he said.

“And it’s certainly lucky the occupants weren’t home — if they had been home it could have been catastrophic.”

Wodonga fire brigade station officer David Brown said the timber that has smashed into the Toyota had been loosely tied to the trailer.

“It’s only good luck the driver’s not dead, because a plank could have easily hit him in the head,” he said.

Wodonga SES deputy-constable Warrick Armstrong said a Wodonga Council engineer had inspected the property and told the Simmons to brace the walls to hold them up.

Power and water had been disconnected.

“There’s a lot of damage,” he said.

“It’ll take some time to assess and repair.”