Toyota Settles Suit Over High-Profile California Crash

September 21, 2010

  • September 22, 2010 at 1:54 am
    Matta says:
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    There was nothing wrong with the Toyota vehicle. The dealer screwed up by putting the wrong type of floor mat in the car causing the accelerator to jam. The accident was tragic, no argument there. What I find puzzling is how the driver reacted, or failed to react. The driver was a police officer who’s supposed to be able to react to a dangerous situation. It takes several seconds for a vehicle to accerate to 120MPH. Why didn’t he simply turn the key and shut the engine down? Or put the car in neutral? Meanwhile, one of the passengers was busy making a 911 call. Did he really think that would help with the clock running out?

  • September 22, 2010 at 2:22 am
    Santee Resident says:
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    Living less than a mile from the accident site, this was horrific. He was traveling 120 mph for several miles. Given what was left of the vehicle, to blame it on the mats would be a stretch and is pure supposition on the part of the accident reconstructionist. This vehicle burst into flames when it came to a stop and there was nothing left of it to assess. Which is why Toyota is in a hurry to settle it since it does not validate the cause one way or the other and they need this off the books before the others go to trial.

    It is also my understanding that this was a loaner vehicle with the button ignition and he may not have understood how to shut it down (holding down for a period of time)

    Always hard to Monday morning quarterback the would haves and the should haves.

  • September 22, 2010 at 2:34 am
    Amy says:
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    Santee – I hear what you’re saying. But…Matta has a good point. Just because an event occurs doesn’t absolve those involved from reacting sensibly. It sounds like this driver had plent of time to turn the ignition switch off, or put the car in neutral. Policemen should know this. I’m now at all absolving the manufacturer IF it’s product was faulty. But it seems reasonable to raise the question “could this have been avoided?” had one of the two options described been exercised.

  • September 22, 2010 at 4:28 am
    Ralph says:
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    actually, NEVER turn the key if your accelerator is stuck. That can either lock your steering column or at the very least, turn off your power steering. Immediately shift into neutral.

  • September 23, 2010 at 3:46 am
    Cecelia Owen says:
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    Actually, there was a MythBusters episode that dealt with a similar scenario, and with an automatic transmission, there was no way to shift out of drive when going at those speeds. I heard part of the 911 call, and he was practically standing on the brakes trying to slow/stop the car and had engaged the emergency brake as well.



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