Rescuers Tried To Save Man Killed In Freak Accident

INDIAN SHORES, FL — Two men in Indian Shores wasted no time trying to rescue a man who became trapped under his own car Wednesday afternoon, but their efforts were to no avail.

The unusual accident happened just after 4 p.m. when Bao Le, 40, pulled off Gulf Boulevard and onto 197th Avenue. Le parked his car, got out and started looking around, appearing lost, witnesses told Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies.

As Le was getting his bearings, his car started rolling backwards, the sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media. Le quickly ran back to his car and was able to get partially back into the driver’s seat.

“According to the witness, the driver's left foot got caught in the driver's side front tire, and the vehicle continued to roll, which pulled him out of the vehicle and knocked him to the ground,” the email said. “The driver's side front tire then rolled over the driver, pinning him to the ground.”

Two witnesses to the accident, John Allen, 65, of Indian Shores, and Robert Kinzinger, 46, of Clearwater, rushed in to try and free the trapped man. They grabbed pieces of wood to use as wedges to lift the car off Le, the sheriff’s office said. When that didn’t work, a vehicle jack was brought in to no avail.

Suncoast Fire Rescue responded to the scene and used a second jack to lift the car high enough to free Le, but it was too late, the sheriff’s office said. Le was pronounced dead at 4:10 p.m.

No further details are available at this time.

Image via Shutterstock

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