A tragic incident unfolded when a man lost his life outside his residence due to a dog’s unintended actions inside a parked van. James Campbell, a 68-year-old resident of Cantonment in Tampa, Florida, met his untimely demise in January 2013 as he assisted his wife in maneuvering their 1995 Chevrolet van into their driveway.

The fatal chain of events occurred when Mr. Campbell stepped out of the van to open the driveway gates while leaving his door ajar. Simultaneously, his wife, Iris Fortner, was in the driver’s seat and opened her door to locate her husband behind the vehicle.

At that moment, their pet dog, spotting its owners, leaped into the driver’s side of the van, inadvertently pressing the accelerator pedal. In a split second, the van surged backward, tragically striking and running over Mr. Campbell.

Despite his wife’s frantic efforts to halt the vehicle, the van had already collided with Mr. Campbell, pinning him underneath. Tragically, he was declared deceased at the scene by emergency responders. Mrs. Campbell sustained minor injuries and was taken to West Florida Hospital for treatment.

No charges were filed in connection with the accident; however, the incident highlighted the dangers posed by a combination of a running vehicle, a free-roaming dog, and a vehicle in gear.

In a separate unusual event in the region that same month, Miami residents were startled by a naked intruder attempting to harm a pet Rottweiler. The intruder was subdued by a homeowner who shot him in the leg after finding him aggressively attacking the dog in their property early in the morning.

According to Miami Police Department spokesperson Willie Moreno, the homeowner’s actions appeared to be justified as the intruder was behaving irrationally and aggressively towards both the homeowner and the pet dog.