Tom Cheffro, a resident of Malden, was watching television on Tuesday afternoon, September 5, 2012, when he heard a loud bang from his backyard. Upon rushing outside, Cheffro yells for his neighbor to call the police as he dives into his in-ground pool, in which a Chevy Impala was sinking. The scene came about so quickly that Cheffro wasn’t sure if the driver realized what was happening.
After trying but finding himself unable to open the door, Cheffro pushed the car’s window down, unbuckled the driver’s seatbelt and pulled him out of the water before he could suffer any serious injuries. Amazingly, the two then sat and joked with each other, wondering how many hits the video on YouTube would receive, as they awaited the paramedics and police.
The pool didn’t sustain any damage. The motorist was conscious and communicative as he was taken to the ambulance on a stretcher by paramedics. He’s presently in the hospital with minor injuries. Cheffro assumed that while backing into his driveway, the motorist, who is reported to be in his eighties, mistakenly stepped on the gas instead of the brake. Amazingly, nobody else had been injured as the car sped through two fences before crashing into the pool. A crane was brought in to remove the automobile.
A neighbor claimed that the injured man wasn’t supposed to be driving anymore. Another said that his son and his cardiologist insisted that he give up life behind the wheel. The driver explained that he merely wanted to drop something off in the mail. The police officer at the scene, Lieutenant Daniel Thomannof, credited Cheffro with saving the driver’s life. Police also confirmed that the traffic department will review the incident. If they deem it necessary, the RMV will receive a imminent threat notice which could mean that the driver’s license will be immediately terminated.
What may make the story of a car crashing into a pool a marvel is that it isn’t so rare of an event. In fact, just a little over two months ago, a teenager in Phoenix, Arizona was driving to work on a June morning after spending the entire night playing video games. After falling asleep at the wheel, his Ford Edge crossover crashed through a 7-foot block wall before submerging into a backyard pool. Fortunately, nobody was injured in this crash either. The homeowner was rather good-natured about the incident. And his daughter slept through it entirely.
Only two days before the crash in Phoenix, a car crashed into a pool in Escondido, California. Police say the driver was cruising at a high rate of speed when his 2006 Kia Rio hopped off the road, crashed through a fence, and landed upside in a backyard pool. Another car-in-pool fiasco happened just last week in Miami on August 30. And back on May 12, a motorist in La Puente, California crashed his Lexus through a wall and, believe it or not, into the backyard pool of another unsuspecting resident. Maybe someone should consider forming a fraternity.
But, as usual, we want to encourage you all to practice safe driving, to suppress to urge the text while driving and, of course, to only drive while sober. But if you, or anyone you know, have any questions, concerns, or need for consultation in regards to a vehicular innocent, please feel free to contact Altman and Altman at your earliest convenience.
Sources:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8659770
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Car-Crashes-Into-Pool-in-NW-Miami-Dade-168003876.html
http://www.10news.com/news/31221644/detail.html
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Teen-crashes-car-into-Phoenix-backyard-pool-159968295.html
http://malden.patch.com/articles/man-s-life-saved-after-crashing-car-into-pool#photo-11229377