Toyota to blame? Christmas Day tragedy might have been caused by pedal.
Southlake police could not determine if a stuck accelerator led to the deaths of four people who died after their 2008 Toyota Avalon plunged into a pond the day after Christmas.
"This is as far as we can go at this time," said Officer Roderick Page, a Southlake Police Department spokesman. "Our investigation is over, and our findings are inconclusive."
Quote from the article:
Source: Toyota to blame? Christmas Day tragedy might have been caused by pedal.
"This is as far as we can go at this time," said Officer Roderick Page, a Southlake Police Department spokesman. "Our investigation is over, and our findings are inconclusive."
Quote from the article:
| The police report came a day after Toyota announced it would stop selling and building eight models for the American market, including the Avalon, because of problems with stuck pedals causing vehicles to accelerate. The police report lists the key factor in the accident as failure to control speed. The posted speed limit at the site was 35 mph. Police determined the car was traveling at 45 mph. Mechanical problems with the accelerator and a medical condition of the driver were listed as possible contributing factors. Toyota had previously issued a recall after reports surfaced that the gas pedal could get stuck in the floor mats. But investigators continued to receive reports of unintended acceleration and stuck pedals even in cases where the floor mats had been removed. The floor mat was not a factor in the Dec. 26 accident that killed Monty Hardy, 56, of Southlake; Hadassah Vance, 35, of Euless; Wendy Akion, 38, of Irving; and Sharon Ransom, 56, of Grapevine. They died after their car flipped in a shallow pond after crashing through a fence and hitting a tree near the 2800 block of Lonesome Dove Road at Burney Lane. The driver's side floor mat had been removed before the accident and was found in the trunk of the vehicle during the investigation, Southlake police said in a previous statement. The road was not icy at the time of the crash, and there were no skid marks or other indication that the driver attempted to put on the brakes. Southlake police were assisted in their investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a Toyota engineer. |
Source: Toyota to blame? Christmas Day tragedy might have been caused by pedal.
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