The Vancouver Police Department confirmed Tuesday that a Canadian man was crushed to death by his own car in a McDonald’s drive-thru last week.
Tony Eyles of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was married and a father of two. He was pronounced dead Sept. 8 at the scene of the accident. He was 42.
According to surveillance video secured by police, Eyles leaned out of the vehicle around 5:30 a.m. to pick up an item that fell as he was trying to pay for his order at a McDonald’s in downtown Vancouver.
As he got out of his car to retrieve what the Vancouver Sun reported to be his payment card, police said 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.”
First responders tried to revive Eyles.
“This is an absolutely heartbreaking scenario,” Constable Tania Visintin of the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of this man.”
According to CTV, Eyles was an elevator mechanic and worked on high-rises in downtown Vancouver.
A fundraising page was created for his widow, Caitlin, and son and daughter. Eyles’ brother-in-law, Neal Pender, told CTV Eyles was “just the most doting father and the most loving husband. … He was just the perfect guy.”
Messages made by USA TODAY on Wednesday to reach McDonald’s Corp. were not immediately returned.
In 2018, a man in St. Louis died after trying to get his food from a Jack In The Box drive-thru and also was pinned by his car.
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