Insane footage has captured the moment a car suddenly lurched forward during parking practice, before it crashed through a concrete barrier and rolled onto a busy beach in front of horrified sunbathers.
Witness Rachel Chappell recalled herself and bystanders being “flabbergasted” as to how the green Kia Seltos suddenly ended up in the sands of Balmoral Beach, on Sydney’s north shore, about 1:15 p.m. on Monday.
The driver, a woman in her 30s, was leaving a parking space when the green Kia Seltos suddenly accelerated forward, crashing over the concrete wall and landing close to beachgoers.
Footage shared by 7 News captured the car moving forward as people walked by on the footpath.
It suddenly strikes the concrete wall, damaging it and rolling over onto its roof, before coming to a rest on the sand.
Beachgoers are seen turning and running to get out of the car’s way as it flips.
The woman was treated for an injury to her head while another man, in his 50s, was assessed by paramedics.
Both were treated and released.
The woman returned a negative result when subjected to a roadside breath test by police.
Police said investigations into the incident were continuing and no charges had been laid.
Acting Inspector Sean Donnelly said the driver was practicing her parking when the vehicle suddenly came up onto the grassed area and flipped.
“It has gone nose-in and as it has gone over through the brickwork, it has tipped over onto its roof,” he told reporters on Monday.
“It is a beautiful day and school holidays with a lot of people around, it is very lucky no one was injured.”
Speaking to 7 News, Chappell said the car must have been traveling at some speed before it hurtled onto the beach.
“It’s a really big mystery — did the accelerator get stuck?” she asked.
Witnesses said they initially thought a “bomb” had gone off on the beach, some seeing sand fly everywhere following the accident.
One said the crash happened close to a couple sitting in beach chairs and a family in a tent.
“I have no idea how it happened, the road is miles away from the beach and then there’s bins in front of the concrete barrier as well, so it’s just bizarre,” the witness said.
The crash happened on the first day of school holidays in New South Wales, Australia, which run until October 6.