A Sunland woman tried to remain calm as her runaway vehicle cruised through intersections in La Canada Flintridge, according to 911 audio released Tuesday.
Listen: Dispatcher Helps Runaway Driver (mp3)
In the backseat of the Ford Escort was her 5-year-old daughter.
"I'm coming to a red light again. There are cars in front of me and I can't stop," said the tearful woman as she approached an intersection.
Honking can be heard in the background of the call.
The 40-year-old driver called 911 shortly before 11 a.m. on Monday. She estimated her speed between 20-25 mph.
"My brake isn't totally stopping it," she told the dispatcher.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's dispatcher Richard Engersbach calmly told the woman to put the car into neutral and turn off the ignition.
"Ok, it died," she said.
"I was shocked when I first got the call," said Engersbach in a statement from LASD.
"Knowing that a child was in the car made it that much more urgent that the car be stopped. I remembered that recently we had another runaway car incident, and that a deputy had to get in front of that car at a high rate of speed to block and stop it, so while talking to her I was also sending patrol cars to help. I am really glad everyone is OK," he said.
The sheriff's department released a step-by-step guide for stopping an out-of-control vehicle.
- Shift the transmission to neutral
- Turn off the ignition switch
- Apply the brakes and pull over
- With the engine cut off, you will lose some power steering assist, but you should still be able to steer the vehicle to a safe stopping position
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