Residents walking down 4th Street Santa Monica Monday morning, June 11, were given a shock when a late model Honda Civic inadvertently drove over the edge of City Parking Structure #5.
Literally hanging by a wire thread, the silver Civic teetered precariously as nervous onlookers stood by.
“Fire resources arrived within 5 minutes 47 seconds and found a late model Honda Civic that had driven off of the parking platform and was precariously hanging over the edge, only held in place by steel barrier cables,” said Captain Patrick Nulty from Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD).
Prior to SMPD’s arrival, a bystander sprang into action and pulled the driver from the vehicle.
“The driver, a female in her 60s, reported that she inadvertently depressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal while attempting to park,” Nulty said.
The vehicle, hanging from the 5th floor of the structure was secured by SMFD’s Urban Search & Rescue Team, while Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers evacuated the area and set up a safety perimeter.
Two tow trucks assisted in executing SMFD’s plan to safely pull the vehicle from the edge and back to safety. At 11:45 a.m. the operation was complete and all hazards were mitigated.
25 Firefighters responded in total with assistance from SMPD and Pacific Tow Company of Santa Monica. The driver was evaluated by Paramedics with no injuries reported to the driver, bystanders, or first responders.
