Chase toddler inadvertently takes vehicle for a spin. (File photo)

Chase toddler inadvertently takes vehicle for a spin. (File photo)

Chase toddler takes SUV for a not-so-joyful ride

Mother dragged trying to rescue child, RCMP report neither injured

A Chase toddler gave her mother a panic when she inadvertently took the family SUV for a spin.

Calls that Chase RCMP responded to in September included a runaway vehicle with a toddler in the driver’s seat.

Police officers and ambulance paramedics were called about 5 p.m. on Sept. 4, where they found that a newer model Chevrolet Tahoe had rolled down a steep driveway into a vacant lot below.

“The mother explained that she and her daughter had just returned from a shopping trip and, while she was unloading the vehicle, her toddler stood on the driver’s seat. The toddler managed to pull the vehicle out of park into neutral, allowing the vehicle to roll down the driveway. The mother noticed immediately and attempted to stop the vehicle but was dragged along with it,” Sgt. Barry Kennedy reported.

The vehicle came to a safe stop in the vacant lot below and, luckily, neither mother nor daughter were injured.

Police said there may have been a mechanical issue that allowed the vehicle to shift into gear without having the brake pedal depressed.

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Salmon Arm Observer