Members of a local dragon boat team are counting their blessings after nearly being mowed down Monday evening by an out-of-control car that ended up in the water off Rocky Point Park.
About 30 paddlers on the Dogwood Nothin' Dragon team were warming up on the grassy area west of the boat launch when they heard the roar of a car engine behind them, said team president Brian Kenny.
The red car headed straight toward them.
Screaming, the boaters jumped out of the way just as the car jumped a cement barrier, busted through a park bench and landed with its front end down in the water below.
Port Moody Police Const. Angela Fisher said witnesses stated the driver was about 100 m away from the boat launch when "seemingly out of nowhere, the vehicle began to accelerate toward a group of people who were standing there" at an unconfirmed rate of about 50 to 60 km/h.
Nothin' Dragon members immediately ran down to the car and found a woman conscious but delirious and called 911.
Once the woman was taken away in an ambulance, the team gathered in the gazebo on the pier to process what had happened.
"It is not easy to put into words what happened to the team and others tonight," Kenny wrote in an email to the club. "It could have gone so very wrong but all are safe."
Paramedics determined the driver was suffering from an acute medical condition, Fisher said, and was taken to hospital for further assessment.
Port Moody Fire Rescue Chief Remo Faedo said it was an unusual event and it was fortunate nobody was hurt.
A small amount of fluids leaked out when the tow truck pulled the car out of the water and firefighters were able to mop it up from the inlet and the rocks with absorbent pads.
