Classic car ownership has its perks but like any car, things can go sideways quickly if a major component fails. For Alexis Pritchard, the brakes in her and her grandfather’s 1947 Chevrolet Suburban were that failing component. She managed to avoid a major tragedy and come to a safe stop with the help of the police.
On June 11th, Pritchard finished getting fuel for her classic Chevrolet and was on her way to another destination when she realized her brakes weren’t working. She immediately called 911 to ask for help. “I’m running all of these red lights and I don’t know what to do,” we hear her say in a recording of the call posted online by the Fontana Police Department.
Dispatcher Lindsey Ernes who took the call remained calm and confirmed Pritchard’s location and direction of travel. Ernes gave her good direction about putting the car in the lowest gear possible and police made contact moments later. According to Pritchard, the car was traveling at around 30 mph (48 km/h) and despite attempts to slow the car by running into traffic cones, nothing worked.
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Fontana Police Officer Charco managed to get just ahead of Pritchard and then used his police cruiser to slowly brake just ahead of the classic car until the two cars came into contact. He then continued to slow down gently until both cars came to a safe and complete stop. Despite the shock of everything going on Alexis managed to maintain her own composure throughout the incident.
This is an outstanding example of handling an emergency on all accounts. The driver knew the right move was to contact 911, the dispatcher kept Pritchard calm, and Officer Charco managed to bring the ordeal to an end in the safest way possible. The damage to the front of the 1947 Chevy is significant but far from the most important factor.
“My life isn’t replaceable… the car is fixable,” Pritchard said to KCAL News after the fact. Now she’s got a little more work to do with her grandfather on this project car.