By Jamie Cone
The Brattleboro Reformer
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — A woman was rushed to the hospital after she was run over by her own vehicle as she tried to remove a traffic cone from the undercarriage Friday afternoon.
Sybil Idelkope, 24, of Brattleboro, pulled over to the side of Black Mountain Road to remove the plastic cone around 2 p.m.
According to the Brattleboro Police officers who responded to the scene, Idelkope’s gray Mercury Mountaineer began to roll as she was lying under the car. The vehicle hit the woman, then continued to roll backwards across both lanes of traffic before the woman climbed back into the driver’s seat.
She brought the sports utility vehicle to a stop just inside the side driveway of the Radio Shack shopping center, where Rescue Inc. paramedics lifted her out of the vehicle and strapped her to a back board. She was rushed to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with complaints of pain all over her body, said Brattleboro Police Sgt. Penny Witherbee.
Despite what appeared to be serious injuries, she called 911 herself with her mobile phone, said Brattleboro Sgt. Robert Perkins.
“Sometimes people’s adrenaline takes over and it’s amazing what kind of pain they can push themselves through,” Perkins said.
The police are still investigating why the vehicle unexpectedly began to roll.
“Whether it was faulty equipment or she didn’t have it fully in park, we don’t know yet,” Perkins said.
The cone was still lodged in the undercarriage of the vehicle as police conducted their investigation.
The first to respond to the scene was an off-duty Rescue Inc. paramedic, followed closely by several Brattleboro Police officers. The Brattleboro Fire Department also responded.
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