Man trapped in own car, writes death note, following horrifying malfunction

PETER Pyros was so sure he would die after getting locked in his car he wrote a “goodbye” note. And it could happen to anyone.

LAST month, Peter Pyros decided to take his beloved 2006 Cadillac XLR roadster for a drive.

It was a decision that almost cost him his life.

When the 75-year-old Cleveland, Ohio resident got into the vehicle on the morning of August 31, the car would not start and his key fob wouldn’t work.

But the malfunction that shut down the engine also locked the car doors and closed off the electrical system, including the horn, effectively making Mr Pyros a prisoner in his own car.

What followed was a 14-hour fight for survival as temperatures inside the vehicle soared to a potentially deadly 37 degrees.

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Mr Pyros tried to scream for help, but his neighbours had already left for work.

He couldn’t manage to smash the car windows either, as the glass was too strong.

And he had left his mobile phone inside, meaning he wasn’t able to call for rescue.

“I was trying to find something to get me out of the car. Nothing worked. I started to scream as loud as I could,” he told USA Today.

“I came to the conclusion that I was going to die. I was at peace with it.

“I asked God to help me twice, then I said, ‘OK, God if this is the way I’m supposed to die, I will die.’”

Within half an hour, the temperature started rising rapidly.

Mr Pyros wrote a ‘goodbye’ note on this grocery list. Picture: Fox8

“Hot is not the word. I felt like I was in hell,” Mr Pyros told Fox News.

My Pyros passed out due to the heat twice, and was convinced he was going to die.

He even scrawled a “goodbye” note to his nephew on a grocery list he found in the car.

“I actually scribbled a letter to my nephew, I wrote, ‘This is a terrible death, but I love you.’ I didn’t want anyone to think I committed suicide,” he told the Detroit Free Press.

After 14 hours of suffering, one of Mr Pyros’ neighbours eventually noticed his garage door was open that evening, and heard faint, unexplained noises coming from inside.

He decided to investigate, and thankfully found the trapped cancer survivor.

Emergency services were called, and first responders managed to jump-start the car and free a traumatised and dehydrated Mr Pyros.

In another twist, it was later revealed he could have freed himself within seconds, as the car actually had a manual door release inside on the floor.

But Mr Pyros didn’t know this, and he had left his car manual inside his home — meaning that lifesaving piece of information was far out of reach.

And while Mr Pyros’ terrifying ordeal seems strange and unlikely, experts have warned it can occur in many modern cars.

Respected car safety expert Byron Bloch told USA Today we should all be worried.

“Too many of the automakers short-change the technology in the vehicle in that there should be fail-safe electrical backup just as there is for the airbag system,” he told the publication.

“You should be worried because unless you can check in your owner’s manual to determine if you have an energy reserve power system … you could not only be entrapped, but if it’s a hot summer day and you have a child in there with you, you’d be powerless to save your child.”

Mr Pyros was locked inside this car for 14 hours in sweltering heat. Picture: Fox8

Fox News also tracked down other similar cases of people becoming trapped in the cars, and sought clarification from the manufacturers of Mr Pyros’ car, GM.

“First, I am glad the gentleman is OK. Any vehicle or key fob can lose power unexpectedly, so please urge your viewers to review the power lock section of their owner’s manual so they will know what to do if this occurs,” a GM spokesman advised the organisation.

Despite his horrific experience, My Pyros is one of the lucky ones.

In 2015, a 72-year-old Texas man died of heat exhaustion after getting stuck in his Corvette.

And in 2014, a New Zealand couple were also trapped for 13 hours in their keyless Mazda 3, although they both survived.

Mr Pyros is now considering taking legal action against GM.

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