Morton Grove man drives into pond after flip-flop flap

Flip flops are great for the beach. They're not so great for driving.

A Morton Grove man drove into a pond after his flip-flop got stuck under the accelerator of his 2007 Mercedes on Thursday, according to Arlington Heights police.

After the accident, the 30-year-old driver rolled down his window, sat on his car door and waited for police, who arrived at around 9:30 p.m., said Cmdr. Nick Pecora of the Arlington Heights Police Department.

"He was about 10 or 15 feet from the shoreline," Pecora said. "I don't think he knew how deep the water was."

The man - who was not injured - was driving east on Happfield Drive and trying to turn left on Arlington Heights Road when his flip-flop got stuck, Pecora said.

Police waited until it was light out to get the four-door, all leather interior car out of the pond. Police sent over a dive team along with a tow truck early Friday morning to retrieve the car, Pecora said.

"Since it wasn't a life-threatening situation, we waited for better lighting conditions," he said. "Basically, we used it as a drill."

The Mercedes S550 was towed to Hillside Towing in Arlington Heights where it will wait for the man's insurance company to decide it's fate - which probably isn't good.

"The vehicle was submerged for 12 hours," Pecora said. "It might look nice in a driveway someday, but I don't think it will ever start again."

The man was not ticketed. The accident is still under investigation, Pecora said.