Vehicle nearly rolls over driver, ends up in water in Port Moody

PORT MOODY (NEWS 1130) — It was a close call for one man on Wednesday after he was nearly run over by his own vehicle before it ended up in the water in Port Moody.

A video posted to Facebook shows a man sitting in a boat attached to a vehicle with the driver’s door wide open at Rocky Point boat launch.

The vehicle and boat then start rolling backwards into the water.

The driver scrambles to climb out the front of the boat, and falls — the vehicle’s wheels just miss him, and he ducks under the open door as it rolls by.

A very close call for some one in Port Moody after their car rolled into the water at Rocky Point boat launch. Man was just able to jump off the boat, but was nearly run over while doing so. @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/zD9Lo5Sqvi

— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) May 16, 2019

According to Port Moody Police, the person who was driving the vehicle had minor injuries and no charges have been laid as the investigation is still ongoing.

Port Moody Fire and Rescue posted images of the sunken vehicle and boat online Wednesday evening, saying the dock was closed because of a “vehicle incident.”

After pulling the SUV back onto the land, Port Moody firefighters got a surprise.

Deputy Fire Chief Kirk Heaven says there were shocked when the water-logged vehicle caught fire.

“Once the vehicle was out of the water, we heard a big bang, it sounded like a tire exploding,” he says. “Just after that, pulling it out, we could see flames underneath the vehicle.”

Heaven says the vehicle turned out to be a hybrid.

“We’re not sure why or how, but being electric something must have shorted out to cause the fire,” he says. “So our crews quickly went and extinguished the fire. Unfortunately, with the electric vehicle, it took quite a while for us actually to extinguish it.”

He says the SUV was eventually taken by flatbed truck to a yard in Coquitlam under police and fire escort in case the flames started back up.

Rocky Point boat launch is currently closed due to a vehicle incident. PMFR & PMPD on scene assessing any impacts. #baddayallround pic.twitter.com/pdHcxRRQVt

— PortMoodyFireRescue (@PortMoodyFR) May 16, 2019

Don Prittie with the Boating BC Association says an SUV or truck rolling into the water is something he’s seen before.

“It’s not a common occurrence,” he says. “But I probably hear something once a year.”

He says in most cases, the driver isn’t put into a dangerous situation like this.

“First and foremost, you always have to have your wits about you when you’re doing anything with a boat, and backing a trailer, if you’re not quite used to it, is challenging.”

Prittie says it’s preferable second person assisting, although he doesn’t believe that needs to be a rule.

– With files from Lauren Boothby, Taran Parmar, Simon Druker, Tim James, Espe Currie.