An otherwise innocuous trip to a McDonald’s drive-thru has turned into a Christmas tragedy for a family in Nebraska.
A grandfather from Grand Island, Nebraska, died after a “freak accident” in the drive-thru that even saw a restaurant employee get hurt while trying to help him.
Michael Dickinson, 69, died on Tuesday when he appeared to get pinned between the car door frame and the drive-thru payment window.
“It appears the deceased opened the door to further reach out the window for payment purposes,” Grand Island Police Division Chief Dean Elliott said, according to KSNB-TV.
He added, “We’re not sure if the vehicle lurched forward or what happened, but he got pinched between the door frame and the drive thru window counter.”
Elliott also described the entire tragic ordeal as “100 percent a freak accident.”
“Grand Island Police and Fire Departments dispatched to the scene at 10:23 a.m. and upon arrival found the individual trapped between the vehicle and the east side of the building,” the Grand Island Police Department said in a statement. “The investigation determined the driver was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was also the individual who sustained fatal injuries.”
The police chief said that one heroic McDonald’s employee tried to save Dickinson, but to no avail.
The employee apparently leapt into the car through the passenger window and tried to dislodge Dickinson.
Unfortunately, not only was the employee unsuccessful, but the employee apparently suffered injuries, too.
The McDonald’s employee was ultimately taken to a hospital via ambulance, but is expected to make a full recovery.
“A skilled and hardworking mechanic, Michael took pride in his work and had a gift for fixing what was broken. It reflected who he was — reliable, practical, and dedicated,” Dickinson’s family said of him following his passing, per Fox News.
The family continued, “Though his life was cut short, Michael’s love, loyalty, and kindness will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. He will be dearly missed and always remembered.”
Fox News, which noted that Dickinson was a grandfather, also found an old Facebook post from his daughter who said that he had had his leg amputated in 2021, and had to re-learn how to walk.
Dickinson was ultimately taken to the CHI St. Francis emergency room, where he was pronounced dead.
The Grand Island Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team is working with authorities to figure out what exactly had happened, per Grand Island police.
The incident is still under investigation.
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