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Breaking Legal News & Current Events

Victim of Sudden Acceleration Sacrifices Own Safety, Jumps from Car

Last week a Somerville woman jumped from her car after it suddenly accelerated beyond her control.  Fortunately she survived with only scrapes, bruises, and a few chipped teeth.  The brave Somerville driver did many of the right things: she called the police, tried her emergency brake, pumped the breaks, honked, and turned on her hazard lights.  Only after these attempts failed, did she heroically steer her car away from other drivers and decided to tuck and roll out of the car before impact.

So, what should you do if your car suddenly accelerates out of control? Here are a few tips:

• Stay Calm! Don’t let your panic take over.
• Take your foot off the gas pedal and make sure your cruise control is off.
• Notice how the brake pedal feels.  - If it feels soft and goes to the floor – try pumping the brakes, you could just be low on brake fluid. If it feels hard and doesn’t move - feel if there is something between the brake pedal and the floor
  
• Pump your brakes. DO NOT ride your brakes, especially if going down a hill.
  
• Shift into neutral or a lower gear.
  
• Use the emergency brake.
  
• Pay attention to the road and continue to steer.
  
• Warn drivers and pedestrians.  This can be done by turning on your hazard lights, honk your horn repeatedly.
  
• Turn off the ignition while pressing on the break.
  
• Look for a safe place to pull over – or crash.
  
• Try calling the police.

In the case of the Somerville woman, witnesses to the accident said that they were aware something was wrong  because of her honking and her erratic driving.  It is unclear whether the acceleration problems in her Honda Civi are similar to the problems that caused the recent recalls for Toyota and now the car may be too damaged to determine the cause of the brake failure.  Yet her quick and prudent decision making allowed her to keep others safe.

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