Last week, the Montpelier Police Department responded with the Montpelier Fire Department (Montpelier Fire Local 2287) to a report of a vehicle in the Winooski River in the area of Old Country Club Road in Montpelier.

The operator, who was in the vehicle when it went in, was uninjured, if a little damp. Our investigation determined the vehicle was parked at the bike path parking area along the river with the operator sitting in the back seat of the car. The vehicle had a manual transmission and the operator had not set the parking brake. He was unable to reach the brakes in time to stop the car from rolling into the river. The operator was screened and determined not be impaired. The vehicle was pulled out of the river a short time later by Crosstown Towing.

This is the second vehicle that has ended up in the river in recent history as a result of similar circumstances. The water level was relatively low and the river calm otherwise the situation could have been far more dangerous for the vehicle occupant and rescue personnel alike.

“Many of us do not use our parking brakes regularly, especially on relatively flat surfaces,” a Montpelier PD statement said. “These incidents can serve as a reminder that it does not take much to get a car rolling and it is advisable to insure vehicles are parked with the transmission in gear and the parking brake engaged.”