Warning after ‘joy’ ride

By Tania Martin
AN EMERALD mother has warned parents to lock their cars after her son was lucky to escape unscathed when playtime almost turned to tragedy.
Nathan Millar, 5, became the focus of statewide media attention on Tuesday, 20 December when, playing in the front seat of his mum’s car, the vehicle rolled 50 metres down the steep driveway of his home and into the window of a house across the street.
Nathan’s mum, Bella said it was a mystery why the car rolled because it was still in park and the hand break was still on.
Mrs Millar said that in the beginning Nathan had said he touched the hand break but after a closer look at the car it was found that it was still in place.
She said at the time of the incident she had taken a walk and Nathan was playing in the front garden only metres from where his father, David, and a family friend were in the garage working on David’s 1966 Chevy.
“Nathan was in the garden playing with his trucks and his dad had checked on him not two minutes earlier,” she said.
Mrs Millar said her husband and his friend later remembered hearing a ‘pinging’ noise and looking up to see Nathan and her car rolling down the driveway.
A three-month-old baby lying on the floor in the front room of the neighbouring house was moved by his mother just minutes before Nathan and the car crashed into the home.
Emerald State Emergency Service volunteer Leigh Johnston said it was common for the SES to be called out to an incident where a car had run into a house, but that he had never seen a case like this before.
Mrs Millar said Nathan did not panic during the incident. He just held on to the steering wheel, even when the driver’s side door popped open when the car hit the fence at the end of the driveway.
She said that after the incident they talked to Nathan about the dangers of playing in cars.
Mrs Millar said the car was now locked in the garage and her husband’s car was also locked all the time. “I think people become complacent and don’t actually realise the danger or the potential harm that can be caused by leaving cars unlocked,” she said.