Driver Turns to Grab Water Bottle, Accidentally Plows Through Pedestrians

A 45-year-old female driver surnamed Ding was at the wheel of a white Mercedes-Benz C-Class that had come to a full stop at the lights in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Being morning rush hour, there were tens of pedestrians on the crossing in front of the car – and at least 13 of them were injured when the seemingly out of control car plowed through them.

The Daily Mail has video of the actual crash. The footage available at the bottom of the page is from the aftermath, which shows that, after running through and over people on the crossing, the car continued on its way before crashing into 2 other vehicles.

SCMP reports that a woman was seen emerging from the Benz after the crash, wearing flip flops. She apparently told the police that she hadn’t been drinking or doing drugs (which was confirmed by on-site tests) and that she didn’t have a medical episode.

She admitted however to turning towards the backseat to grab a bottle of water, when the car – which she had left in “drive” - sped off. She must have panicked if she wasn’t able to step on the brakes: the car wouldn’t have stopped had it not been for the other 2 cars it crashed into.

“The car ran a red light, hit the pedestrians and collided with two other vehicles,” the police say in a statement. “The improper operation caused the vehicle to lose control."

As of the time of writing, the woman has not been charged with anything: police say the investigation is still ongoing. Of the 13 people injured, 2 are said to be in critical condition. Eyewitnesses tell the media the car dragged a girl for several feet, and an elderly woman was also hit and lifted in the air.