Apple Valley police said Thursday that a man was seriously injured after a sedan rolled backward down a Guild Avenue driveway and pinned him beneath it. Witnesses told officers the man had tried to stop the vehicle as it moved down the steep incline.
Officers were initially dispatched to the home, just west of Wallace Park, for a report that a bicyclist had been struck. Investigators later determined that no bicycle was involved, according to CBS News. First responders lifted the sedan from the man, who was identified only as male, and he was taken to a hospital. Authorities have not said why the vehicle began rolling or whether anyone was inside it.
Why the Driveway Turned Deadly Serious
Guild Avenue is in a residential area of Apple Valley near Wallace Park. A City of Apple Valley filing is cited in connection with the location. The steep grade is part of the reported circumstances, but investigators have not identified what caused the sedan to move.
People can be injured in rollaway incidents while attempting to re-enter or physically stop a moving vehicle. Non-traffic crashes can also involve injuries and fatalities to people outside vehicles.
What vehicle-safety records show
A 2025 recall involving certain 2024-2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV vehicles identified loss of parking-brake function as a condition that could allow an unattended vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and General Motors. That recall establishes a recognized vehicle-safety hazard, but it does not indicate that the Apple Valley sedan had that defect or explain what caused it to roll. The available record also does not establish which preventive steps, if any, were taken in this incident.
How Crews Freed the Trapped Man
Freeing someone pinned beneath a multi-thousand-pound sedan requires more than brute strength. First responders helped free the man. Rapid, careful extrication can be important in such incidents…