To not know how this happened?

[howisthispossible]

So, sister was parked outside the post office today, with her jack Russell dog loose inside the car (not sure if this is relevant)
She’s told me that she got back into the car and her foot slipped and it’s flown forward with such force that it’s mounted a kerb and smashed right through the wall outside the post office. Looks like the wall was hit at about 30 mph to be honest.
She keeps changing her story though and now is saying she wasn’t in the car and it just rolled forwards as the handbrake must have failed (which would have just bumped the wall I imagine, not crashed through it)
DH thinks the dog has jumped into the footwell and hit the accelerator.
Is this possible in an automatic car?
I just can’t work out why her story keeps changing.

when I was learning in a friend's car I did this, only it was in reverse and we spun round in circles at top speed - terrifying! Just missed other cars. We couldn't work out what had happened but figured I must have pressed on the accelerator instead of brake....

I think she is probably just embarrassed and trying to find a way out of it

Most importantly, IS THE DOG ALRIGHT?

Maybe she just had her foot on the accelerator thinking it was the brake. Easier on an auto because literally as long as its in drive with the handbreak off it will go.

The dog is fine!
Just wondered how on earth it’s happened.
Perhaps she did hit the accelerator instead of the brake! The car flew forward with some speed.
Don’t know why she’s changing her story?

Shes probably mortified!

It’s almost as if she didn’t even attempt to brake (if she was in the car) which is what made DH think it was the dog jumping into the footwell. But she must have left the engine running and the car in drive for that to happen by the sounds of it?

I have pressed the accelerator in error, not sure how but I have done it with force - my foot was misplaced when I was messing about getting ready to go. I think I was leaning in the back trying to reach for something. Handbrake was on tho. It’s an electronic handbrake in my car.

If she is in an auto with a traditional handbrake which was off then it is possible.

In my auto you can’t get the key out of the ignition while it’s in drive.

I did this once, thankfully without causing too much damage to anything. I too drive an automatic. I was parked at traffic lights. I got a crick in my ankle and waved it around a bit, and then put it back on the brake. Except I didn't - it was the accelerator. I slammed into the car infront.

The not attempting to brake thing - if you are pressing the accelerator instead of the brake by mistake - then the automatic reaction is to press the brake (except it's actually the accelerator) even more. That's what happened to me.

Impossible that the dog did it. He would have to take it out of park AND take the handbrake off then press the gas peddle.

More than likely your DSis pressed the gas peddle instead of the brake peddle.

Very bizarre. It's possible the engine was left running and the dog has nudged the gearstick into drive I guess. I know dh's just has to be in drive for the car to move, no foot on the accelerator. It's great in slow traffic!

I have an automatic, it will not let you start the engine, engage drive or reverse without your foot being firmly on the brake.

But what if she left the engine running and the car in drive and just ran into the post office quickly.
Could the dog jump down and press the pedal?
I think it’s more likely driver error. Don’t know why she said it just rolled forward! She’s hiding something!

I'm pondering that she was distracted by the dog and hit the accelerator. Does it sit on her lap in the car?

Maybe she's now saying it just rolled forward because she thinks telling the truth might get her into serious trouble. After all it's just luck that she didn't kill someone.

You can't leave an auto in drive though they constantly roll forward in drive so you couldn't get out the car

If the engine were on and the car was in drive it would be moving forward (rolling slowly, but moving) so you'd have to put the emergency break on, no? It's been a long time since I had an automatic but I seem to remember that you had to keep the brake on at lights otherwise you'd move.

Is she feeling ok? If she's disorientated and confused (hence changing her story) is it possible she had some kind of fit? Maybe then she would have pressed the accelerator down but can't recall having done that?

Also, I don't think dogs would go in the footwell. They tend to want to look out the windows as that's where the action is.

I once hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

I was in slow moving traffic at the time and hit a bus in front of me quite hard.

I really don't think a dog could do this though. Especially not a jack russell.

Ok so we shall discount the dog!
Looks like she’s just hit the wrong pedal.
Think she was perhaps embarrassed and said it rolled forward.
Or maybe she thought she’d get into trouble for not paying attention to what she was doing.
Either way her car is a write off!

Hope she realises if the dog was not secured in the car it can invalidate the insurance? And result in a fine of up to £5000 .

That’s quite a change in story - from being in the car to not being in the car!

Can the Jack Russell (average 7kg and small paws) hit the accelerator that hard to mount the kerb and still keep the accelerator down to smash into the wall I doubt it! (that’s without any of the other technical details). Even if the dog was SAT on the accererator, they would get off it if the car hit the kerb, they wouldn’t continue to hit the wall!

But a human foot could do this especially if the connecting human brain said it was a brake pedal and should be pressed harder!

Or maybe the dog distracted her and she pressed the wrong pedal but she knows she’ll get into trouble as the dog wasn’t properly secured.

Most of our cars in my country are automatic. You could easily do this, especially if you're new to driving automatic cars - it's actually a fairly common accident for new and elderly drivers when someone means to put the car into reverse but puts it into drive instead and floors it.

Someone drove through the coffee shop brick wall where I worked as a teen by doing this. As it accelerated, she panicked and tried to slam on the brakes, but hit the gas again.