Saturday morning chaos erupted on a Cohasset sports field when a driverless SUV carrying two children barreled down a hill, interrupting a youth lacrosse game, police said. According to WHDH, the vehicle, a 2017 Chevrolet Suburban, slipped out of a parking spot at Cohasset Middle High School around 10:40 a.m. and careened across the field where kindergarten-aged kids were playing.
Quick-thinking coaches and onlookers sprang into action to usher children out of harm's way as the SUV rolled down the steep incline. The vehicle eventually came to a halt after smashing through a chainlink fence and into a yard. "“Due to the quick actions of coaches and bystanders, we averted a major tragedy today.” Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said, in a statement obtained by WHDH.
The car, which had two children secured in car seats, struck a coach during the incident. Though the children and the coach suffered minor injuries, no one was deemed to need hospital transportation. The Boston Globe reported that the investigation into how the SUV slipped out of gear is ongoing, with no charges filed as of Saturday evening.
Police have not released details on whether the vehicle's parking brake was engaged or other factors that may have contributed to the SUV’s unexpected descent.
