|
|
|
Malfunctioning BMW Becomes 120mph Death Trap
Posted by Pile
(10469 views)      [E-Mail link]
|
[Faulty Products]
 |
 A motorist was trapped in his car driving at almost 130mph for 60 miles after the accelerator jammed.
Boy those fancy computer-controlled cars now sure are cool! |
|
Kevin Nicolle, 25, was unable to stop the automatic BMW going at top speed after the malfunction on the A1.
His terrifying journey, which was followed by four police cars and a helicopter, ended when he smashed the car into a roundabout, flipping it on its roof.
Amazingly, the former lorry driver walked away from the accident uninjured.
"The whole thing was just a blur," he said. "I can't get it out of my head. I was terrified, hysterical and crying.
"Every time I close my eyes I remember it.
"It's a miracle I didn't collide with another vehicle or cause a pile-up, but I had a lot of close shaves with lorries and cars and swerved about trying to avoid them."
Mr Nicolle was driving back from friends in Newcastle to his home in Southsea, Hants, last Sunday, when the accelerator on his automatic BMW 318 jammed at Catterick, near junction 53 of the A1.
He then travelled 60 miles in 26 minutes, passing through three counties.
"I had been driving for quite a while when I realised the accelerator pedal was stuck down," he said. "I had gone into the fast lane and I couldn't get the pedal off the floor. I used my hands-free phone and tried the AA to ask them what to do.
"At that point I wasn't panicking because I jammed my foot on the brake and that was keeping the speed to a steady 70mph.
"I told the AA I couldn't slow down. I thought they might be able to give me some advice but they told me to hang up straight away and phone the police. I dialled 999 and spoke to a woman and by this time I was starting to panic because the speed of the car had increased to 100mph."
Police alerted a helicopter and four traffic cars set off to try to catch him as Mr Nicolle kept up a running commentary, all the time flashing his lights and sounding his horn to warn other motorists.
"My brakes were burning out and starting to fail - that's when the speed really started to build," he said. "I could see the speed building to 120mph or 130mph. I remember starting to shake and freeze up. I was really panicking and broke into tears. I couldn't help it because I thought I was definitely going to die. |
Details |
|
|
Numbnut
Posted by anon on 2006-03-12 13:12:49 | I have had an accelerator stick on me before.
Just hang on and shut the friggin engine off, it is like hitting the brakes really hard.
Or shift into nuetral and let the engine blow as you slow down normally with your brakes. |
Meat Head
Posted by turk_182 on 2006-03-13 22:02:56 | | Turn off the key to kill the ignition, DON'T LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL! flip it into neutral and coast before you lose all your momentum pull off onto the shoulder. Thank God he's not driving trucks any more. |
???TAKE THE CAR OUT OF GEAR???
Posted by Anonymous on 2006-03-14 01:16:17 | | The world is full of idiots... |
Try Reading It
Posted by Anonymous on 2006-03-14 11:16:35 | If you READ THE STORY that is linked here, you'll see that he was unable to shift into neutral, and had a decent reason not to simply kill the ignition.
"I was trying to slip the car into neutral but because the car was over-revving and red-lining I couldn't do it.
"I couldn't turn off the ignition because it would have disabled the power steering and made it even more dangerous."
You may not agree with his decision about the ignition, but he did try--unsuccessfully--to put the car into neutral. |
| Posted by Anonymous on 2006-03-21 00:13:34 | All good points, but I'd think if you're flying down the road at those speeds power steering isn't really necessary.
Makes me glad to have such a low-tech car. |
|
Bumper Sticker Store