Cab Driver Dies in Freak Accident With Own SUV

A livery driver was killed in New York City yesterday in a bizarre accident. The 58-year-old double-parked his Ford Expedition and was opening the door for his fare when he realized the SUV was rolling backward, reports the New York Daily News. The driver jumped back in partway and tried to press the brake but hit the gas pedal instead, say police. When it lurched, he got thrown from the vehicle and pinned between it and a parked van, suffering cardiac arrest.

After pinning the man, the empty SUV kept rolling toward traffic, and DNA Info reports that a quick-thinking bystander saved the day. After whistling a few times to alert drivers to stop, Mike Conlon jumped into the vehicle himself and stopped it. "It seemed like the thing to do," he says. Another witness says of Conlon's feat, "It was like Batman—it was amazing." (Another unfortunate accident saw a husband and wife killed when their cars collided.)