Instead of standing around to wait for the fire department, Chris and I decided to walk the dog. We rounded the corner on South Alamo street, walked about a block, and stopped for a minute. When I turned around, I saw a car driving backwards across South Alamo street with the driver's side door wide open. I also heard a man yelling for help. I was shocked to see the man lying on the ground, wedged behind the front tire on the driver's side of the car traveling across the street.
Chris and I ran toward the car as it dragged the trapped man across the pavement. As we arrived at a gas station across the street from our apartment, the car rounded it's way into the gas station parking lot and gained the momentum necessary to drive over the man wedged behind the tire. As the car rolled over the man's lower body, the man uttered horrible moaning and groaning noises. The car then left the man behind, right in front of Chris and I, and continued to drive in a circular pattern around the gas pumps and out of the gas station parking lot.
Believing that hit-a-run was in the making, Chris ran after the car. I remained with the the man, who was lying on the ground and asking me to help him stand. I kindly declined his requests, assuming that he should first wait for clearance from qualified medical professionals. I glanced up at the car and noticed that it was continuing in a circular pattern and was again headed toward the man on the ground. I suddenly wanted the man to move, but there was no time. Luckily, the circular pattern of the car's path was narrowing and the car drove past the man on the ground as it entered the gas station parking lot a second time. As the car drove by, I looked inside the open driver's door and realized no one was in the car!
The out of control car continued to drive backwards in a circular pattern around the gas pumps and out of the gas station parking lot. Chris thought about jumping in the open driver's side door, but the car was moving too fast. Instead, he ran across the street to the firemen assessing the false fire alarm in our building. As he ran, I began to realize that the car, which was in the street and headed for the gas station once again, was headed for the gas pumps. As fast as I could think about my proximity to a potentially large explosion, the car circled into the gas station parking lot and slammed into a concrete post at the end of the gas pumps. The car came to a sudden halt with a loud, crunching sound.
Within minutes, Chris returned with the firemen from across the street. The fireman assessed the man on the ground. I realized that the man was elderly, at least 70 years old. I overheard the man state that he thought his car was in park. The gas station attendant, who yelled and panicked throughout the whole incident, said he saw the old man fall out of his car.
After about 20 minutes, the firemen finished with the old man. The old man stood up and began walking toward his car. I walked to to the old man and asked if he was okay. He stopped and glanced at me. I noticed that his sweat shirt was twisted and one of leg of his sweat pants was scrunched up to his knee. The old man told me that he was fine, and did three or four slow motion lunges as evidence. Unable to argue with him, everyone watched as the old man continued walking, sat down in the car that ran over him 30 minutes earlier, and drove away.
So much for a quiet, relaxing evening...
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