Man Dies Trapped in Dream Car

The 2007 Corvette has an emergency door-release handle on the floor by each seat, according to the manual—and if he had known that, 72-year-old Texas man James Rogers would probably be alive today. The Port Arthur resident died along with his pet Shih Tzu in a Waffle House parking lot on Monday after becoming trapped in the car, apparently because of an electrical problem, KHOU reports. Police believe the vehicle lost power to the locks and horn because of a loose battery cable and that Rogers and his dog died of heat exhaustion after he was unable to escape the vehicle or attract the attention of passers-by, reports the Beaumont Enterprise.

Rogers, who had recently purchased the vehicle, left his cellphone charging inside the restaurant while he went to check on his dog and was unable to call for help, police tell the Enterprise. After he was noticed inside the car, firefighters broke in but found Rogers and his dog were already dead, 12 News reports. His daughter tells KHOU that the Corvette was her father's dream car. She says she believes her father made every possible effort to escape and may have died while reading the car's manual. (A Utah woman who had a premonition found her husband trapped under a car.)