Toyota bZ4X driver forgets to shift to Park, EV ends up going for tragic swim

When a Toyota bZ4X owner and his friend drove to the Blossom Street Pier Ferry Terminal in Lynn, Massachusetts on Wednesday, they were simply looking forward to eating lunch. Little did they know that they were about to experience something that no car owner ever wants to experience. 

As noted in a report from NBC Boston 10, the bZ4X driver and a passenger, Gerry Cardona, were eating lunch near the Blossom Street Pier Ferry Terminal’s boat ramp when the driver stepped out of the vehicle to throw trash a few feet away. As the driver left the car, the all-electric crossover started rolling towards the water. Cardona did what he could in a desperate attempt to stop the vehicle, but his efforts were ineffective. 

Cardona described the incident to Boston 10. “I started feeling the car rolling a little bit. I grabbed a snow brush to try to stop it, and it wouldn’t stop… Next thing you know, I did everything I could, rolled down the window, and I climbed out and jumped in the water,” Cardona noted. While he ended up jumping into the water, Cardona was able to get back to shore by the time fire and rescue arrived. 

Recovering the ill-fated Toyota bZ4X required authorities to use a small boat. The local fire department and a tow truck company were also involved in the retrieval of the all-electric crossover. 

Considering the nature of the incident, it would probably be best for Toyota to roll out a feature that automatically shifts the bZ4X to Park as needed. This is a feature that Tesla has implemented on its vehicles like the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y for years, to great effect. Tesla describes the feature as follows. 

“(Model S/Model 3/Model X/Model Y) automatically shifts into Park to prevent roll-away while driving in low speeds. This happens whenever you connect a charge cable, unbuckle your seat belt, or open the door while in Drive or Neutral,” Tesla noted. 

Watch Boston 10’s feature on the ill-fated Toyota bZ4X in the video below. 

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