Cargo Ship Driver Responsible for Crashing Into a Man's Yard Fell Asleep at the Wheel, Police Say
A cargo ship that narrowly missed crashing into a man's home was believed to have been manned by a sleeping crew member, police say
No injuries were reported after the NCL Salten ran aground
'The potential for serious damage was huge,' prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen saidPolice in Norway say a crew member falling asleep while on duty led to a massive cargo ship barely missing a retiree's home.
Prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen said the employee aboard the NCL Salten was charged with negligent navigation, the Associated Press reported on Monday, May 26.
The person's name was not made public, but he was identified as the ship's second officer.
"Five meters further south and it would have entered the bedroom," homeowner Johan Helberg told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation last week, per the BBC.
Helberg had been sleeping when the roughly 440-foot-long vessel collided into his backyard at around 5:00 a.m. local time Thursday, May 22, in Byneset, near Trondheim.
He slept through the initial crash, but was soon alerted by his neighbor Jostein Jorgensen, who witnessed the rarity in real-time.
'I was sleeping soundly, deeply, and then I heard a dinging sound, which I wondered might be my doorbell,' Helberg told the New York Times on Thursday night. 'I thought, who in the world rings the doorbell at 5:45 in the morning? I looked out the window, and he said: 'Haven't you seen the ship?' '
He called the incident 'completely surreal,' noting how close the ship came to crashing into his home.
Jorgensen told the Times he had been 'in shock all day." He also told Norway's TV2 he struggled to wake up Helberg.
"I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing," he said, per the BBC. "And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him.'
In a statement, Sørensen said the NCL Salten's navigator testified that he 'fell asleep prior to the incident,' per the Times.
'It does happen, but it's not something that should happen,' the prosecutor said. 'We have regulations that are supposed to create barriers and prevent ships from running aground because someone falls asleep.'
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'The potential for serious damage was huge — both for those onboard, people on land, and of course regarding environmental consequences and material damages,' he added.
NCL and a salvage company tried to use a tug boat to remove the ship from Helberg's property, but their efforts were unsuccessful as of Thursday evening, per the Times.
No injuries were reported. At least 16 other crew members were believed to be on board at the time of the incident, which remains under investigation.
The Norwegian Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. A spokesperson for the Norwegian Cruise Line told PEOPLE, 'The cargo ship is [in] no way affiliated with" the company.
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