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Australia - Source: ONE News
A seven-year-old boy in Australia has escaped from a runaway car that had rolled down a driveway and crossed a busy street, falling from the vehicle moments before it plunged over a cliff.
"He's very, very lucky," Inspector Paul Allman said.
Police says the boy's parents parked their Toyota four-wheel drive at the top of a steep driveway at a relative's house in Austinmer, just north of Wollongong.
The family had gone to the house to pick up some items before taking the boy to school.
Shortly after they went inside, the parents noticed the boy was missing and searched for him in the bathroom.
Unknown to them, he had gone outside, climbed into the driver's seat and engaged the neutral gear, sending the vehicle careering down the 30-metre driveway, police say.
The car travelled down Kennedy Road, crossed busy Lawrence Hargrave Drive, took out several panels of fencing and dropped over a small hill.
Police believe the boy was thrown from the vehicle at that point.
The car then plunged over an eight-metre cliff onto Austinmer beach and rolled several times.
The boy was found lying in a patch of lantana, with minor cuts and bruises, and was taken to Wollongong Hospital for a check-up.
Police say when they found the severely damaged car the handbrake was still on, but it might not have been entirely engaged.
"In some vehicles, if it's not on all the way it can still move," Insp Allman says.
It is believed the boy might not have closed the door properly and when the car went over the small hill it dipped to the right, resulting in the driver's side door swinging open and the boy falling out.
A police spokeswoman says the boy has "redefined the word lucky".
