A man was hospitalized Wednesday after he forgot to put his plug-in hybrid electric SUV into park at a Port Moody boat ramp, which sent the vehicle plunging into the water.
Firefighters said the man was trying to tow a boat away from Rocky Point Park when his Mitsubishi Outlander suddenly started rolling down the ramp.
Video posted to social media shows the man leaping out of the way of the SUV and getting struck by the driver's side door, which was hanging open.
Deputy Chief Kirk Heaven of Port Moody Fire Rescue said crews were called to assist with a vehicle in the water shortly before 6 p.m., and arrived to find a man in his 40s with minor injuries hobbling at the scene.
"His vehicle was in the water, and the boat was floating in front of the car," Heaven said.
The Outlander burst into flames shortly after being towed from the water. The SUV was still attached to the tow truck when flames started shooting from underneath the vehicle.
"It's caused (by) the battery shorting out with salt water," Heaven said.
It took a couple hours for firefighters to knock down the blaze because it was an electric vehicle, and they had to take extra precautions.
"This is all such new technology," Heaven said. "Our main concern is keeping our firefighters a safe distance back."
Port Moody police will be investigating what happened. Heaven also said environmental specialists have also been notified, as pollutants were sent into the water while crews were fighting the fire.
Earlier this year, another electric vehicle, a Tesla Model X, crashed into a traffic pole on Lougheed Highway and Alderson Avenue, killing the driver.
