A spectacular incident took place in the city of La Ciotat, in the south of France. A 38-year-old woman lost control of the car she was driving in the parking lot of the municipal swimming pool and ended up with the car in the main pool of the aquatic complex.
The car ended up in the swimming pool PHOTO:X
The driver would have mistaken the brake pedal for the accelerator. The car, a Jaguar, sped through the trees, tore through the guardrail and smashed through the glass front of the building, coming to rest at the bottom of the pool as the swimmers inside looked on in shock.
The woman's five-year-old daughter was also in the car. The quick intervention of the two lifeguards present in the area was decisive: both the two occupants of the vehicle, as well as approximately 20 people in the pool at the time, escaped unharmed. The woman and child were later transported to the hospital in a state of shock.
“The car went through the entire front yard and smashed the bay windows before coming to rest in the pool,” said Pierre Nicolini, general director of services of the city of La Ciotat, quoted by RTL.
The authorities are now faced with a difficult operation: removing the car from the 25-meter pool.
According to the fire department, a crane will be needed and part of the facade of the building will have to be dismantled, with the risk of further damage.
The municipal pool will remain closed for several weeks to repair the facade, damaged windows and fence destroyed by the accident.
