DEMING - A Deming woman was taken to St. Joseph hospital after nearly getting run over by her own car Friday, Dec. 28.

The 52-year-old woman had parked a '69 Ford Mustang beside a row of mailboxes on the shoulder of Mount Baker Highway, near the end of Markel Road, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis. She was checking her mail at 1:20 p.m. when the Mustang - parked on a shallow slope - started rolling forward at her. It turned out that she had left the stick shift out of gear.

The woman ran toward the front seat to slam on the brakes, but as she was getting in, the car door hit the street sign for Markel Road, pinning her between the door and the car frame, Francis said. She was dragged with the car into a shallow road ditch.

Firefighters arrived to find her woozy and suffering from chest soreness. She did not have any serious traumatic injuries but was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Francis said.

The eastbound lane of Mount Baker Highway was shut down in the area for a few minutes after the crash.