Illinois Driver Plummets Off Parking Garage

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There’s something about drivers accelerating and plummeting out of parking garages, which happened yet again recently in Illinois. We have some theories about why this is a thing, but we’ve noticed it’s not just contained to the United States, with similar stories in other countries around the world.

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We don’t have too many details about the incident, but according to Norridge Police Department it took place at Harlem Irvine Plaza Mall in Norridge, which is in the Chicago area. It was not too long after noon on November 11 when police and fire units responded to the accident.

From the photo shared by police, we can see the car landed on its roof after plummeting from the parking garage. Amazingly, the driver not only survived but reportedly didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries. That’s a miracle considering these incidents often involve serious head or spinal injuries.

Speaking to Fox News, Chief Brian Goss said the sedan fell about 20 feet and that it was an accident, in case anyone was wondering this might have been a suicide attempt or something else. The exact cause hasn’t been determined.

Getting the victim out of the wreckage took somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes. We’re sure that was a tense time for everyone involved. Thankfully, it sounds like the driver is going to be at least okay.

For a fair number of these accidents, we think it’s a simple matter of drivers getting the brake and accelerator pedals confused or accidentally mashing both with their foot. People often panic in these situations, which makes the mix-up worse.

In other words, when a driver accidentally hits the accelerator a little and the car surges forward, they often plant their foot all the way down on the pedal they still believe to be the brake. With that kind of momentum, vehicles can break through whatever bars or other security devices are on the side of the parking garage.

There are other possible causes for these accidents, like intoxication or people just being bad drivers.

Image via Norridge Police Department/Facebook

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