Very Strange Lexus Crash

She had time to call 911 but didn't have time to turn off the car? Either she is blond or this is an urban myth.

Tom

 

That's what I'd think, better to let the engine overspin itself to death in neutral than to ride it out. Not being an auto transmission guy, I must ask if there is anything blocking a shift to neutral under full load?

And I also had enough long-ago experience with engines stalling while in motion, to not fear loss of power assist for steering and brakes. The car is still controllable without assist.

 

Things to try:

1. Step on brake. The car will at least slow down.

2. Turn off ignition. On the Prius, press and hold the Power button (5 seconds?)

3. Shift to neutral.

4. Check for something stuck under the gas pedal. Maybe the floor mat has jammed it.

5. Controlled crash. Rub the freeway crash barrier. Rolling the car is better than hitting a fixed object (put your seatbelt on?).

6. Dial 911 after the car is stopped. There are more important things to do than talk on the phone.

7. Maybe you don't need a car capable of 120 mph.

 

You can never under estimate what some people will or won't do when panic sets in. Any modern autos brakes will overpower the engine and stop the car.

I wonder what someone calling 911 expects the emergency response to do exactly? Next time I'm driving in icy roads and feel the car slipping, I guess I better call 9-1-1.

 

wow. Easy fix. Throw it in neutral. Let engine redline until death. Better it than the people around you.

BTW, if the engine is racing, and you apply the brakes, you will boil the fluid which will cause you to lose all braking power eventually. Better to just turn the car off and use regular brakes.

 

So, like +90% of all new cars, did this Lexus have by-wire throttle control? Was a floor mat causing the pedal to remain full on?

Reminds me of that news story a few years ago where a lady drove into a canal. Rather than escape, she called 911 but the area she was in, wasn't equipped for precise location determination

She remained vague on the phone, until the car shifted underwater and she drowned

Miami Drowning Incident

There was a time when the average human was expected to think quick, on their feet, or face the consequences. It appears we have become so fuzzy, so brain dead, than we even need warnings on aviation deicing agents "warning do not drink!"

 

The fluid will not boil, unless it is old and has not been changed for a long period of time, then it will contain moisture. Unless you purposely drag the brakes with the engine at full power, stomping hard on the brake will stop the car, even if the accelerator is floored. Braking capacity of a modern auto is far greater than engine power, unless like I said, you purposely drag the brakes which will create tremendous heat.

But either way, just PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. The engine won't blow up it has a rev limiter.

 

It would be interesting to hear the 911 tapes to see what he was saying, had done, etc.

 

Re: Very Strange Lexus Crash gets stranger

So he wasn't a bright cop. Any confirmation on the hair color?

 

Any history of domestic violence in that family? Or job-related enemies who had access to the car?

 

The story keeps changing and getting weirder

 

A very sad accident.

 

The news story notes the accident occurred at the T intersection with Mission Gorge. Northbound SR125 becomes SR52 at a 90-degree left curve here, so the driver must have realized he was going too fast for the turn. He went straight off the off-ramp. Even if the driver remembered how to turn a "push to start" car off, perhaps the steering wheel would have locked and he would not have been able to make the turn anyway.

This is tragic. I hope the investigation will figure out what went wrong.

 

The steering wheel wouldn't lock. Most likely the driver panicked, which wouldn't be too surprising having this happen in a loner car. Clear thinking in a crisis is a difficult thing.

Tom

 

One thing about turning off the engine is you will lose power steering, so I personally would not do that unless it was a last resort. I found this article @edmunds.com.

How To Survive the Top 10 Driving Emergencies

A couple things of note:


Emergency #3: Stuck Throttle

Thanks to things like loose floor mats and a poorly placed racecar throttle cable, I have experienced stuck throttles. Although this will be a rare occurrence for most drivers, if your engine starts racing away uncontrollably, it must be stopped immediately.

Take these actions:

• If the engine started racing when you pushed the brake, release the brake. If the engine stops racing, you were actually pushing the gas by mistake.
  
• Put the transmission in Neutral (and/or push in the clutch). Don't worry about the engine when you shift into Neutral: Engine speed limiters on modern cars will prevent damage. And it's OK if you get Reverse: The engine will either stall or act as if it were in Neutral.
  
• If you can't get Neutral, switch off the ignition as a last resort. Today's cars don't allow the key to turn to the locked position if the car is not in Park, and the car will be much harder to steer once the engine is off since the power-assist will not be working. Fortunately, with the engine off, there's still plenty of reserve braking power to stop the car. Of course, if the car is equipped with a newfangled keyless ignition, getting Neutral may be your only hope

Emergency #4: Sudden Acceleration

Also called "unintended acceleration," this is identical to a stuck throttle...except it's not a mechanical failure but rather the driver accidentally pressing on the gas. As an instructor, I have had numerous panicked students push the gas in the mistaken, but unshakable, belief they were on the brakes. (Left-foot brakers more familiar with automatics frequently push the clutch.)

Know this: In every well-maintained modern car, the brakes will easily overpower the engine. If you're truly pushing the brakes as hard as you can, the car will stop even with the engine going full speed.

_________________________________________

It's a tragic story honestly, but IMO the driver simply panicked. And anyone can test to see if a full throttle car can be stopped by braking power. Find a lonely stretch of road, get up to highway speed, floor it, and try to stop the car. It will easily stop. Disclaimer: I don't recommend trying this on a public road!

For the car to race out of control and be impossible to stop regardless of driver action, the off button would have to fail, the brakes would have to be defective, and the transmission selector would have to fail and not allow putting the car in any other position besides drive.