Thursday, May 4, 2017

Billerica Auto Auction Tragedy: 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee: banned from car washes



The District Attorney, Marian Ryan, stated:  “It suddenly accelerated ... “

District Attorney, Marian Ryan prosecuted the Brad Casler / Sweet Tomatoes Pizza tragedy of March 1, 2016, in Newton, Mass

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/09/27/i-team-sweet-tomatoes-crash-court-documents-newton/







3 Killed, 9 Injured In Crash At Billerica Auto Auction









Three people were killed and nine others injured when a vehicle went careening through a crowd of people gathered for an auto auction at an indoor facility in Billerica Wednesday morning.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a press conference that a worker at the Lynnway Auto Auction was behind the wheel of a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee when it suddenly accelerated.
"As this vehicle began to enter the building, following a pace behind the car in front of it, it suddenly accelerated, traveled through the inside of the building at a very high rate of speed, striking numerous people and ultimately was brought to a halt by crashing into a cinder block wall at the far end," Ryan said.
Ryan said there were several hundred people in the building at the time of the crash. She said the vehicle traveled the entire length of the warehouse, which she estimated was about the size of a football field.
Authorities said two of the victims were female and one was male, though they did not provide their names or ages. Of the nine people injured, Ryan said two had life-threatening injuries.
Ryan said the driver was in his 70s and was not injured. She said the investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing.

"The preliminary information we have right now suggests that this is a tragic accident," Ryan said during the press conference.
Earlier Wednesday, Massachusetts State Police said there was no evidence the incident was intentional.
There have been several terrorist attacks around the world in recent months where suspects used vehicles as weapons.

http://www.wbur.org/news/2017/05/03/lynnway-auto-auction-crash-billerica



3 dead, multiple injured after car crashes
into Billerica auto auction
Updated: May 3, 2017 - 11:16 PM
(with 1:53 min video segment and 0:17 sec video)
(2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee)



[Jeep Car Wash SUA Information]
---------------------------------------------------------
Runaway Jeep crashes into pole after
exiting Lititz car wash
CHRISTOPHER PRATT | Staff Writer
Feb 5, 2016
-----------------------------------------------------------
Local car wash not accepting Jeep Cherokee’s
due to safety issue
BY SANDRA JONES
POSTED 11:43 PM, OCTOBER 16, 2015
(with 2:10 min video segment)
------------------------------------------------------------
No injuries in the latest Jumpin' Jeep
escapade
Not all the incidents of apparent
unintended acceleration have ended
so luckily
By James R. Hood
08/04/2015 | ConsumerAffairs
----------------------------------------------------------
Runway Jeep traverses several lanes on Highway
101
Bay City News
Published: August 3, 2015, 11:38 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Runaway Jeep Grand Cherokees have
led to crashes, car wash owners say.
Updated: MAY 11, 2015 — 1:12 AM EDT
by John Moritz, Inquirer Staff Writer
---------------------------------------------------------
Video: Car-wash chain won't clean older
Jeep Cherokee models over sudden
acceleration fears
BY MICHAEL ROBERTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013 AT 6:02 A.M.
(2010 or before Cherokee/Grand Cherokee)
--------------
(excerpts):
This is not a new issueWay back in 2006, the International Carwash
Association issued an advisory on Jeep Cherokee models based on sudden-
acceleration reports. The document doesn't recommend banning such vehicles,
but it does list five procedures to be employed when they're being cleaned for
safety reasons:
1. Handle Jeep Cherokees and Jeep Grand Cherokees with extreme caution
2. Allow only specially trained car wash employees to handle these vehicles
3. Notify all car wash employees when one of these vehicles is on the property
4. Move the vehicle using both feet - left foot on the brake and right foot on
    the accelerator
5. Instruct employees and customers to never walk in front of
     one of these vehicles


Witness saw 'bodies flying through the air' at Lynnway Auto Auction in crash that killed 3


A Jeep Grand Cherokee killed three people and injured another nine Wednesday morning when it took off at high speeds and crashed into a cinder block wall at the Lynnway Auto Auction in Billerica. 
Peter Gilman, a regular at auto auction, was there and knew something was amiss when he heard an engine whining. 
Following a clank and a shift into gear, the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee "took off like a slingshot and it just went right through the building," Gilman told the Boston Herald. "Then I see bodies flying through the air."
With a "huge thud," Gilman told the Herald the Jeep came to a stop when it went through the wall of a building at the auto auction.
"There was no stopping the momentum of the Jeep until he hit the wall," Gilman told the Herald. "There was nothing to stop the speeding bullet except the poor souls in the way." 
A man and woman died at the scene. A third fatal victim, a woman, was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead. 
Of the nine injured, some suffered life-threatening injuries. 
The Jeep was driven by a man in his 70s who worked at the auto auction. He has not been identified by police. The crash is currently believed to be accidental and police are investigating potential vehicle malfunction or if the driver suffered from a medical emergency at the time of the crash. 
One of the fatal victims has been identified as Leezandra Aponte. Wednesday was her first day of work at the auto auction, a position she accepted to raise money for her daughter's quinceanera.