A Port Elizabeth man's neck was broken when the dog's leash he had draped around his neck got stuck in the wheel of his car, a family member said on Monday.
Rob Emslie, 39, had the leash around his neck as he left a restaurant with his dog.
Emslie got into his car and closed the door but he did not notice a large part of the leash was hanging outside the car, said the family member, who asked not to be named.
As he reversed, the leash got stuck in the wheel and broke his neck.
The relative denied a report that Emslie had worn the leash around his neck from time to time after his dog Sheevah died about five weeks ago.
She said the leash had nothing to do with Sheevah, and that the dog had only died a week ago.
“He had not been wearing the collar for five weeks... at the time of the accident the leash just happened to be around his neck,” she said.
She also corrected his age, from 47 reported earlier.
Emslie's new dog was with him at the time and drew the attention of a passer-by by jumping in and out of an open window of the car.
Reports that the new dog had not been seen since the accident were also denied.
“The dog stayed with him the whole night and was in a frantic state the next morning... the dog has been seen since,” the relative said. – Sapa