From an FD forum
"The weekly informal car show at Captree State Park on Sunday provided visitors with an unexpected, and unintended, air and water show. Police are trying to determine how a car accelerated across a parking lot near the boat basin, then launched into the nearby water. The driver, who police did not identify, swam to safety, according to witnesses. "At approximately 8:30 this morning, a 30-year-old male apparently lost control of his vehicle," said Capt. Bruce Marx, of the New York State Park Police. "The vehicle crossed through the parking lot, over the grass and became submerged in a vacant slip." Marx said the driver, of West Islip, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with undisclosed injuries. He was the only occupant of the out-of-control car. No one else was injured. The silver, two-door Mazda RX-7 hit several motorcycles and a parked car as it quickly accelerated through the parking lot, Marx said.ohn Rodriguez, 45, of Smithtown, witnessed the accident and said the problem started when the car seemed to take off without its owner inside. He said the driver was standing with dozens of other people when the Mazda started moving. "The car just ran away from him," Rodriguez said. The car's owner then chased his car and managed to get into the vehicle. After the driver grabbed the stirring wheel, the car took off again. "It just accelerated very quickly, hit a plant, and spun," Rodriguez said. "It went airborne about 7 to 8 feet and hit the water." Rodriguez said the driver was still behind the wheel when the car started filling with water. A crowd gathered and yelled for the driver to get out, he said. "As the car started sinking, he got out," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said the driver was lucky to not hit any poles, boats or people in the busy area. Gary Heicklen, of Douglaston, Queens, was several feet away from the accident but caught a glimpse of the 10 seconds of chaos. "I heard a noise, turned around and I saw a car in the air," said Heicklen, a salesman who declined to give his age. "The whole crowd turned around." The car remained submerged for several hours before police used a crane to remove it from the water. The vehicle sustained a broken windshield and front-end damage. State Park police detectives are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident, Marx said."
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