NHTSA complaint: 1992 FORD ECONOLINE — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I AM A DETECTIVE WITH THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT, WV. ON 7/16/04 I WITNESSED A 1992 FORD VAN VIN#: [XXX] ON U. S. ROUTE 50 TRAVELING AT 100 MPH AND THE HORN BLOWING. THE VEHICLE LEFT THE ROADWAY AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING, WHICH MYSELF AND ANOTHER OFFICER ATTEMPTED TO GET THE DRIVER OUT OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH ONCE WITH IN A FEW FEET THE VEHICLE ERUPTED INTO FLAMES. THROUGH THE INVESTIGATION OF THIS INCIDENT IT WAS FOUND THAT THE DRIVER WAS TRAVELING EAST ON U. S. ROUTE 50 FROM THE PARKERSBURG, WV AREA TOWARDS HER RESIDENCE IN SALEM, WV. THE DRIVER SHOULD HAVE EXITED U. S. ROUTE 50 APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES PRIOR TO THE CRASH SITE IN BRIDGEPORT, WV AND DID NOT DO SO BECAUSE THE ACCELERATOR OF THE VEHICLE WAS AT FULL THROTTLE FOR SOME REASON. THE DRIVER WAS WITNESSED AS FAR AS 8 MILES WEST OF THE CRASH SITE BLOWING HER HORN AND FLASHING HER LIGHTS TO WARN DRIVERS OF HER PROBLEM. THERE IS A TOTAL OF 2 WITNESSES WHO GAVE STATEMENTS TO THE DRIVERS ACTIONS WHILE TRAVELING ON U. S. ROUTE 50, PLUS WHAT I WITNESSED AS THE VEHICLE PASSED MY LOCATION ABOUT 1/2 MILE BEFORE THE CRASH SITE. THE BRAKES OF THE VEHICLE WERE EXAMINED BY MYSELF AND TWO MECHANICS AND WERE FOUND TO BE COMPLETELY WORN DOWN AND THERE WAS SOME GOUGE MARKS IN THE ROTORS OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE PASSED MY LOCATION I COULD HEAR THE ENGINE ROARING AT FULL THROTTLE AND WITH THE HORN BLOWING CONSTANTLY THAT THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST A DRUNK OR SPEEDER. THE FAMILY OF THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BRAKES PU
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation