On 1/2/2017 I possibly totaled a 2015 Chevy Equinox and I wasn't even in it. I am the fire chief in my town and responded to a non-responsive individual call. When I arrived I was apparently distracted by the call type and what we were going to be doing next and left the vehicle in drive and exited the vehicle. It was cold so I left my vehicle running. The car sat there for about 10 - 15 minutes in drive but not moving. I came out of the house to make a phone call, only to see my vehicle start to roll forward and then gain momentum and travel into the woods and down a ravine. What if there had not been anything to stop it. How far would it have gone" what if it had been in a residential area? what if it had been a mother who got out for something but left her kids in the car. The technology exists today on my riding lawn mower that if I am not in the seat it shuts off. Should vehicles not have the same technology to keep this kind of accident from happening" yes, I should have taken the extra second to make sure it was in park, yes I could have set the emergency brake (which I definitely will in the future for any vehicle I leave running). But humans are not infallible as I found out. It was a sickening feeling to watch and now I am just hoping it does not have significant ramifications for my employment. My incident is past, but if something could be done to prevent a recurrence from happening to someone else then I want to make sure that I am part of it.

- Plattsburg, MO, USA