PORT ARTHUR- Jessica Crawford
A man and his dog died Monday after being trapped in his Corvette near a Waffle House on Jimmy Johnson Boulevard in Port Arthur. Relatives say he didn't leave the dog in the car. He brought the dog into the car with him after eating at the restaurant.
James Rogers, 72, drove a 2007 Corvette, according to police.
Officers say his battery somehow failed in his mostly-electric vehicle. He wasn't able to honk the horn, or open the doors electronically.
Police say he left footprints all over the inside of the car, trying to escape. Investigators say he pulled up the carpet in his vehicle, tried to leave through the trunk, and used his car's owner manual to find ways to escape.
Bryan Whitson, who works with Noack Locksmiths in Nederland, says newer-model Corvettes can lose power completely when the battery disengages.
"Normally in these cars, if there is no battery power then there is no power to unlock the door or unlock the trunk with the keyless remote," says Whitson. "But there are manual override cable that are built into the car."
Whitson says people get trapped in Corvettes more often than you think.
"We've seen where people have gotten locked in it," he says. "There might have been enough battery power to pop the door open but once they got in there to start it, they found in fact the battery was dead."
Port Arthur Detective Darren Johnson owns a Corvette. He says when his battery stopped working in the past, he was locked out of the vehicle.
"The very first time I didn't know what to do becuase I'd never had one of this model before so I actually googled it," he says.
Officers suggest doing research and thoroughly getting to know your car's owner manual.
Whitson says the Corvette's owner manual reveals multiple ways to escape the vehicle.
"Basically when they're seated inside the driver's seat, there's a little release cable," he says.
The release cable to the side of the seat can help car owners escape the vehicle. Whitson says there is also a way to escape from the trunk. When all else fails, he says, you can always break the window.
Detective Johnson says while there are many ways to escape cars, sometimes, the situation can still be difficult, and even panic-inducing.
"With no air conditioning, probably 120 to 130 degrees, so you're sweating, and you can't think," he says.
