[Weekly World News, 1988]
A 32-year-old roofer was jerked to the ground and dragged almost 200 feet when his wife drove away in the family car with his safety rope tied to the bumper!
David Willis was hospitalized with a broken leg, cracked ribs, concussion and numerous bumps and bruises after the bizarre accident.
But he told reporters in Cape Town, South Africa, that he's lucky to be around to talk about his close call.
"One second I was hammering the roof and the next I was plowing up tomato plants in the garden," he continued.
"Everything happened so fast it was like a dream. But I was in so much pain I knew that what was happening was real."
Willis said the drama unfolded a few minutes after he climbed onto the roof of his house to replace some weather-beaten shingles
He tied one end of a safety rope to the chimney and pulled the loose end through the belt loop in his pants. He then dropped the rope down to his 9-year-old son and told him to attach it "to something secure."
The dutiful child promptly tied the rope to the bumper of his mother's car and scampered off to a nearby park to play.
"My wife and I spoke to each other as she got into the car to go shopping," said Willis.
"But neither of us noticed that the rope was tied to the bumper."
"I turned around and started hammering on a shingle just as she pulled away. I hit the ground hard and shot right through the garden fence."
"I figured I was dragged about 200 feet through the grass before the rope finally broke."
Willis' wife Michelle didn't realize what happened and drove off into the distance.
A neighbor found Willis writhing in his front yard and called an ambulance.
"I'm in no condition to spank my son even if I wanted to," said Willis.
"Actually, I don't think I need to. He knows his thoughtlessness almost killed daddy."