Woman's car takes her on 75-mile wild ride

updated 9:12 a.m. ET Feb. 2, 2004

DENVER - A woman was shaken but unhurt after a wild, 75-mile ride at speeds over 100 mph that began when her brakes failed and her car accelerated out of control.

Police finally stopped the car on Interstate 70 in west Denver by getting a cruiser in front of it, slowing gently till their bumpers touched, then bringing both vehicles to a stop.

“It had a mind of its own,” 20-year-old Angel Eck said Sunday. The car “kept accelerating, and my foot wasn’t even down on the gas.”

Eck was westbound on I-70 in Limon Friday night when her 1997 Pontiac Sunfire began racing out of control. Nothing she tried would slow the car down.

She flipped on her hazard lights and dodged traffic while trying her cell phone, but she was out of her service area.

She nearly slammed into the back of a semitrailer and swerved off the highway three times to avoid hitting other vehicles, including one packed with kids, she said.

After about 45 frantic minutes, she was able to reach a friend on her cell phone. He called 911.

Police cleared the highway as Eck made her way across Denver. When it appeared they had no other options, officers Gary Ayers and Troy Bisgard decided to slow Eck’s car with their cruiser.

“It’s a dangerous maneuver. Had they misjudged, one or both cars would have sped out of control. It worked like clockwork,” said officer Kim Lovato, who worked with six other officers to stop the runaway car.

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