NORTHBOROUGH, Massachusetts — A good deed took an unexpected turn Monday afternoon when a man delivering packages for his neighbor ended up at the bottom of her pool.
Police and fire crews were called to Franklin Circle just before 2 p.m. When they arrived, a sedan was already fully submerged in the backyard pool. The driver had managed to get out on his own before help arrived.
Brakes failed, seconds to decide
The driver, identified only as Nick, said the brakes gave out as he was heading down the steep driveway toward the home.
With the car picking up speed and the house directly ahead, he made a split-second call.
“I get three quarters of the way down the driveway and my brakes failed,” Nick said. “Made a quick decision — house, pool — I took the pool.”
The car broke through a fence before plunging into the water.
He was there to help a neighbor
Nick was not making a routine delivery. The homeowner had been away on vacation and he had been collecting her packages while she was gone.
He was dropping them off when the brakes failed.
The homeowner said she was relieved her neighbor walked away without injury — and equally relieved her house was still standing.
“She’s glad he’s OK and that the car did not hit the house,” police relayed from the homeowner.
Car pulled from pool by crane
Emergency crews secured the scene after confirming no one was hurt.
By Monday evening, a crane had been brought in to hoist the waterlogged sedan out of the pool.
The incident is a reminder of how fast an ordinary moment can turn dangerous — and how a calm head in a crisis can make all the difference.
Have you ever had to make a split-second decision that changed everything? Share your story in the comments.