Unpiloted pickup rolls, takes out cars, hydrant

By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON — Had Gabriella Riesz’s car been parked on the side of the road rather than in her driveway Monday night, Phil Giers’ Toyta Tacoma would have ended up in her living room.

Riesz’s daughter, who was waiting for a ride, was among the first to see Giers’ unoccupied truck barrelling down Liberty Street Monday evening — and by the time she called out to her mother, it was too late.

“By the time I had reacted to her yelling for me I heard a terrible crash in our driveway,” Riesz said. “She actually saw the truck coming toward the house, which is why she got so upset.”

Giers’ truck, which he said was parked atop a steep hill at the end of the street, rolled about a quarter-of-a-mile downhill, dislodged a fire hydrant from its base, ricocheted off of a Toyota Corolla, careened over a snowbank and narrowly missed a tree before slamming into Riesz’s Toyota Camry, leaving it severely damaged and pinned against the foundation of her house.

“I left the emergency brake on when I parked it, but now its not on,” Giers said. “I was visiting a friend. I don’t know what happened.”

Amalia Reinhardt, 21, whose parked Corolla was pushed about 30 feet down the hill when it was hit, said she was cooking in her kitchen when she heard the collision.

“I heard a loud noise outside my window,” Reinhardt said. “When we came outside to see what happened, we saw the truck all the way across the street.”

The cause of the accident, which didn’t result in any injuries, is under investigation, according to Fire Capt. John Davin.

Members of the local police and fire departments responded to the scene and all of the vehicles involved were eventually towed away from the scene.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com