A police dog that was left in a pickup truck, with the engine running, apparently knocked the vehicle into gear, causing the truck to hit a woman who was walking to her mailbox. The woman suffered a fractured pelvis and tailbone.

Mary F. Stone, 41, was hit by the truck, after the dog, a German shepherd named Ranger, apparently hit the shift on the steering column, putting the automatic transmission into gear, police Lt. Loring Draper told the AP.

The incident happened Tuesday, when Ranger was left in the truck while its handler responded to a domestic disturbance call. The truck's engine was on so that Ranger would have air conditioning.

As the truck slowly rolled forward, police officers yelled to Stone, but she couldn't get out of the way in time, Draper said.

A front and rear tire ran over her. "She had tire marks on her clothes," Mary's husband Paul Stone said.

The truck then went through the Stones' yard and struck a vehicle in the driveway.

Mary was expected to remain hospitalized until at least Friday, Paul said.

Draper said police were trying to determine if there might have been some malfunction that would have allowed the gear shift to be moved easily.