A driver in Santa Monica, California, narrowly escaped certain death on Monday when a tourist came to her rescue as her car dangled from the fifth story of a parking garage.
According to the Santa Monica Fire Department, the incident took place at around 10.30am at City Parking Structure No 5 at 1440 4th Street, where they say a woman in her 60s attempted to park her Honda Civic, but accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
The silver sedan lurched over the edge of the parking level and was left precariously hanging over the street below, with only steel barrier cables keeping it from plunging down.
On the edge: A Honda Civic is pictured danging from the fifth story of a Santa Monica parking garage on Monday morning
Mixup: The driver, a woman in her 60s, later told police she accidentally hit the accelerator while trying to park in the garage
The sedan would have plunged down to the street below, were it not for steel barrier cables
A bystander, described only as a visitor from France, was in the garage at the time and jumped into action, pulling the female motorist from her sedan, the front half of which was suspended in mid-air.
Firefighters responded to the scene less than six minutes later and were able to quickly secure the Honda to prevent it from plummeting from the parking garage.
A portion of 4th Street remained closed to foot and car traffic while officials worked to secure the vehicle.
Assisted by a pair of two trucks, firefighters pulled the car from the edge back to safety. It took more than 25 first responders about an hour to complete the operation.
Humble hero: A French tourist pulled the woman from the car to safety, then took off because he did not want any attention for himself
About 25 firefighters responded to the garage within less than six minutes of getting a 911 call
Firefighters used tow trucks to pull the dangling sedan from the edge and back into the garage
The female driver, who has not been named, appeared shaken but suffered no physical injuries, reported KTLA.
‘It was like a movie, really. It was so wild,’ eyewitness Roy Huysdens told KABC. ‘She came out that far with the car and that the car kept hanging there. I mean one foot more and the car probably would have come down all the way.’
The tourist who saved the woman’s life did not want any recognition for his heroic actions and quickly left the scene.