On may 22, 2009, i backed my 2000 toyota avalon into a parking area next to a short private road located about halfway down a high cliff above a beach. after getting out of the car, i decided to move it about a foot further off the road. so i backed up very slowly until the bumper just touched the cliff behind me. i braked, the car stopped, and then i stepped very lightly on the gas pedal, intending to brake immediately after moving forward a few inches. to my horror, the car shot forward rapidly, and i was unable to stop it, no matter how hard i pumped the brake pedal. i somehow managed to turn it to the left and thus avoided plunging over the cliff below me. the car continued to accelerate, fish-tailing up a slight grade. then it hit a parked car and turned upside-down on the road. i suffered broken vertebrae in my back and neck and had to be hospitalized for 12 days and wear a head-neck brace for two months. the car was totaled. *tr