More than 11 people had to leave their homes in the 200 block of William Street near the intersection with Elizabeth Avenue Wednesday after an unoccupied car rolled into a gas line on the outside of a house and broke it, spreading gas.

No one was hurt in the accident, but Alliant Energy spent several hours fixing the line. It took only a few hours to crimp the line and stop the leak, allowing residents back into their homes.

Richard Holland was at the intersection when the car, a blue Chevrolet cavalier, jumped the curb. He said he thought it was someone doing a bad job parking. But when it crossed the intersection of William and Elizabeth, and he saw no one was actually in the car, he jumped out of his SUV and tried to run out and get inside. The car was locked.

He said as it picked up momentum, it looked like it would hit a street sign, but it just knocked over a garbage can before rolling against the house. He then called the police and alerted neighbors.

A man who police pointed out as the driver of the vehicle said he was surprised when he came out of a nearby bank and saw that his wife’s car was gone. He wouldn’t comment further, saying he had to talk to his insurance agent.

Police said the man wasn’t used to manual transmission and didn’t use the parking brake.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock @albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)