A man in Canada was crushed to death by his own car in a McDonald’s drive-through last week in what local police called a “tragic death.”
The Vancouver Police Department confirmed that Anthony “Tony” Eyles, a married 42-year-old father of two from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, died Sept. 8.
Eyles leaned out of the vehicle to pick up an item that fell as he was trying to pay for his order at a McDonald’s drive-thru window in downtown Vancouver and was crushed by his car, police said.
VPD said surveillance video showed that when Eyles opened his car door to pick up the dropped item, “the vehicle rolled forward, colliding into a structural piece of the restaurant. The driver was unable to free himself from the vehicle as he was pinned between the vehicle door and frame.”
“Efforts were made by first responders to revive the man, but tragically, he died on scene,” Constable Tania Visintin of the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement. “This is an absolutely heartbreaking scenario. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of this man.”
Local news reports said that Eyles’ co-workers and family raised tens of thousands of dollars for the man’s widow and two young children.
Eyles’ brother-in-law, Neal Pender, told CTV that Eyles was an elevator mechanic who serviced high-rises in downtown Vancouver.
“The kids are understandably not fully grasping it. We’ve just tried to surround them with as much family as we can,” Pender told the network.
Pender did not immediately respond to a NBC News request for comment.
Tim Fitzsimons is a reporter for NBC News. he/him