If you ask any new or aspiring boater, they may candidly share with you that they dread the action of launching their boat. It’s about safely backing their pickup truck and trailer into a sufficient position to send their beloved boat off into the water without drowning their truck.

However, for some drivers, the mere act of reversing might prove too challenging. In this case, for instance, a video captured the moment an inexperienced driver gave their reversing efforts way too much gusto. As a result, the driver plunged a Ford F-Series pickup truck into the abyss of a nearby river. 

A popular social media video shows the importance of knowing how to safely reverse a pickup truck– or anything else

An Instagram video shows a white Ford F-Series pickup truck approaching a dock. The truck, a utilitarian standard-cab pickup truck, approaches a pier where several people are fishing.

It’s nothing out of the ordinary, especially considering that the pickup truck is toting quite a few things in its bed. But that’s when things go very, very wrong for the driver.

Abruptly, and in a manner that suggests they mistook the accelerator for the brake, the truck gains speed. Unfortunately, the truck doesn’t have much space to lose that speed.

A moment later, the white Ford truck slams into the edge of the pier and teeters over the edge. Then it plunges into the water, payload and all.

Unfortunately, this kind of emergency kills many Americans annually. According to Gordon Giesbrecht, a Canadian researcher and University of Manitoba professor, as many as 400 people die in the United States every year in vehicle submersions, per ABC News.

It’s a sobering reminder to respect your vehicle and the water at all times. Check out the video of the unsuccessful reversing job below!