BROCKTON — Danielle Little and her two sons swim at her father’s pool in Brockton almost every day of the summer. But about an hour before they planned to dive in Wednesday, a rogue recreational vehicle took a dip first.
“I actually got a text that said, ‘We no longer have a pool. There’s a camper in it,’ ” said the 25-year-old Little, who said she received the text at 9 a.m.
Police and fire officials and a towing company spent the next three hours liberating the RV from the pool in the middle of an otherwise green, tidy yard at 13 Rosemary St. An eyewitness who helped pull the driver out of the water said that as the RV was in reverse, it nearly hit him, barreling across North Quincy Street before ramming into bushes on the other side of the street.
George Rizer for The Boston Globe
A motor home was driven across North QuicyStreet and into the backyard pool of a home on Rosemary Street in Brockton Wednesday.
“The next thing I knew, he put it in drive and came across North Quincy Street again,” Larry Lambert said. That put the RV back where it began, at 188 North Quincy St., Lambert said. But it didn’t stay there.
“He went the whole length of his driveway, the whole length of his backyard. Then he crashed through a tree, through a fence, and landed in his next-door neighbor’s pool,” said Lambert, who was driving back to his auto-repair shop at the time.
Brockton police identified Stephen Pierro as the driver of the RV. According to the Brockton assessor’s office, the property at 188 North Quincy St. is owned by Rita Pierro and Stephen Pierro. A note on the front door there read: “Accident: My husband is in the hospital. Thanks. Rita Pierro.”
Danielle Little’s father, Norman Little, witnessed the event from a vantage point a touch too close for comfort.
He was walking into his backyard when the RV crashed into his fence, patio furniture, and pool toys before plunging into the water just feet in front of him. When it came to rest, the front end was smashed and submerged, while the back wheels hung in the air.
Norman Little was so shaken by the experience that he didn’t say much when his daughter arrived. He didn’t have to, after she looked outside, Danielle Little said.
“I was speechless,” she said. “It’s crazy. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Norman Little plunged into the water to rescue the driver from the RV, Danielle Little said.
Lambert called 911. Then he rushed to the backyard and helped get Pierro out of the water.
Lambert said the driver was not complaining of any pain, but was “in shock and very embarrassed about what had happened.”
The driver possibly had a “medical experience that distracted” him, said Brockton Police Lieutenant Robert Sergio.
“It wasn’t deliberate,” he said. “His foot got stuck on the gas somehow.”
Sergio said that while it is possible the driver could face charges, it is unlikely, given the circumstances of the accident.
“Usually with health issues, when no one is hurt, you chalk that up as an unfortunate accident,” Sergio said. He added that the driver is still responsible for the damage. There was minimal damage to the pool itself, said Brockton Fire Captain Victor Parziale.
Total damage is likely to amount to several thousand dollars, Sergio said.
The incident drew about 30 onlookers, who marveled at an RV protruding from the pool.