Today I had one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I hope this never happens to you, or happens to me again. Jesus, it was horrifying.
I was backing up in the driveway, in order to drive straight down our long, narrow, steep driveway (I hate having to back down the driveway, so I always back the car up so I can go forward down it). There was a pressure washer behind me, and a motor home off to the side. I was backing up, and saw that I was really close to the pressure washer, but I still needed more room to back up, so I got out of the vehicle (Ford Explorer) to move it. Apparently I didn’t put it in park, although I thought I did. It’s still in reverse, so it starts rolling back. Fast. I catch up to it and put my leg in and step on the brake. And then I slipped and fell! So here I am, laying on my back on the ground, with my foot still in the vehicle! And I’m pretty sure that I’m thisclose to getting run over, or my leg’s going to break, or something equally horrible is about to happen.
And then the Explorer hits the motor home. And stops. Whew! I’m able to get up and in it and put it in park. There’s a small dent in the motor home and no damage to the Explorer at all. I had mud all on my left side, and my elbow hurts like a mofo. It took me a long time to stop shaking and I cried a lot. I still tear up when I think about it. It was awful. It was about 3 seconds between the time that I fell and it hit the motor home and stopped. 3 seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you think your death is imminent, it is forever.
So, anyway, yeah- always make sure your vehicle is in park before you get out. I know I will from now on, and I might even use the emergency brake for a while now.
My mom forgot to put her car in park when she got out to check her mail and her van ran into the side of her house. Luckily her drive way has a slight incline and it slowed the vehicle down causing less damage than what should have occurred.
Terrifying story, but a good ending for you. There’s a pickup permanently perched high on a cliff, about 50 feet below a cliffside parking lot, overlooking a popular restaurant and the story goes that the dog put it in drive.
I was in my bedroom onetime, when I heard (and sort of felt) a loud thud, and then heard someone SCREAMING my name!
I ran outside to find that the neighbor across the street had done exactly the same thing as Alice.
In her case, she stepped out the the car with the transmission in reverse, instead of park, and the car dragged her down the driveway, made a U-turn and smashed into her block wall. She was extremely lucky that she didn’t lose a leg - her only injuries were some bad scrapes.
Okay, confession time- I didn’t just notice that I was really close to the pressure washer. I hit the pressure washer. It didn’t hurt it. I should have just stayed in the house.
I had the opposite happen in someone else’s Ford Expedition that I was using today; moved the gearshift lever down R - N - D, step on the gas…& the engine revs. I look again, even though the line was over the D, it wasn’t in drive.
Glad your okay!
I did something similar, although it was in a flat parking lot. I was in drive and had to get out for some reason (I can’t remember what it was). So, I stop the car, open the door, get out… and the car starts moving forward, and I fall down, one arm still in the car, the rest of my body dragging. “BREAK!” my mind shouted, “BREAK! HAND! NOW! NOW!” so I reached in with my left hand and pushed on the break petal. Then, very carefully, I got back in the car, keeping my hand on the break until I got my foot on it. Then I put the car in park, took a deep breath, and looked around. No one had the embarrassing incident. Then the pain hit me; scrapes all along my right side, with gravel in my forearm. I brushed the gravel off, took another deep breath and drove home.
And from then on I’ve always been careful about making sure the car is in park/in gear with the parking break on.
Probably some lessons learned and “don’t do this for that reason” kinda things but those things can probably wait for later.
Glad you weren’t hurt!
While I am one of the last people to avoid danger if danger is required so to speak I am constantly amazed at how many dangerous things are waiting to bite one in the ass and how many people are unaware of such things and or dismiss them.
It only takes a moment to ruin your life or end it.
It happened to an acquaintance of mine a few months ago. He got out of his pickup and it wasn’t in park, walked around the back of it and it rolled over him. By the time someone found him it was too late (by a matter of hours IIRC).
When I heard about it, the first thing I thought of was Six Feet Under.
Wow, so happy you’re OK! There are so many stories of accidents and near-accidents related to slow-moving cars in driveways and parking lots, sometimes with horrific results!
Ok, I’m just a bit confused. Is it not a thing in America to use your parking brake? Nobody I know of would stop the car and get out without using the parking brake, much less forget to put the gear into neutral or park.
There’s a pickup permanently perched high on a cliff, about 50 feet below a cliffside parking lot, overlooking a popular restaurant and the story goes that the dog put it in drive.