Car Explosion - Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls

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www.nbcnews.com

Victims of Niagara Falls crash identified as husband and wife from western New York

Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, were killed in a deadly explosion after their vehicle crashed and went airborne on Rainbow Bridge.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
The two victims who died on Wednesday in a deadly explosion on the U.S.-Canada border have been identified as a married couple from Grand Island, New York, Niagara Falls police said.

Monica and Kurt P Villani, both 53, crashed on Wednesday morning while driving down Rainbow Bridge, which leads into and out of Canada at Niagara Falls. People who witnessed the accident said the car went airborne after it struck a cement median. It then caught fire and exploded when it hit a border crossing booth.

"The City of Niagara Falls would like to extend our sincere condolences to the families as they deal with this tragedy," said Niagara Falls Police Superintendent John Faso in a news release...
 
CuriousQuiet1 said:
Car and Driver clocked both the V8 and 12 cylinder versions at 0-60 in 3.5 sec in a 2021 review. Both can accelerate to over 110 MPH in 1/4 mile, 1320 feet, in about 12 seconds. I'm not saying it was stuck but IF the accelerator was stuck in that traffic at a bridge and border crossing that would be terrifying.
Click to expand...
The stuck throttle would certainly be terrifying but that flight over the curb and barrier...

Interesting on an AWD luxury sedan: car has Sport suspension settings; 4-wheel multi=mode speed-adjusted steering; anti-drift mechanisms; paddle shifters; and launch cycle. Strong performance bias for what is foremost a land yacht.

In the video my post above: the driver engaged simply the Launch cycle on an ordinary road at a ordinary stoplight and churned a 3.9. Car and Driver would have been at a prepped dragstrip, probably ran through the bleach block, maybe done a (4-wheel??) burnout; and had a pro driver shifting on the paddles.

Famously, I believe in 1930, Ettore Bugatti stated, in French, that "Mr. Bentley is very clever....he builds the fastest lorries in Europe". Bugatti designed light, quick handling cars which approach he advocated as the future of racing and personal transportation but the vehicles had failed to that time to beat the big, heavy and powerful Bentley.
 
StarryStarryNight said:
Apparently some recent Bentley’s have had problems with stuck accelerators. I couldn’t find a U.S. recall. Don’t know why.


www.drive.com.au

2018-2021 Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur recalled with risk of stuck accelerator

Bentley has recalled 400 examples of its Continental GT and Flying Spur, citing a potential fault with the accelerator assembly.
www.drive.com.au www.drive.com.au
Click to expand...
MSM now reporting it is a 2022 model year so newer than this recall.

Also, interior trim panels seem to be the problem with the Australia recall. Australians drive on the wrong side of the road so the accelerator pedal is under the A pillar trim panel, toward the outside of the car. The North American version accelerator pedal would be near the center tunnel/console. I'm not saying it couldn't have other issues but the problem with the Aussie version doesn't translate to the same problem with the North American car.

Model year reported as 2022 here.
 
Odeto BJ said:
The stuck throttle would certainly be terrifying but that flight over the curb and barrier...

Interesting on an AWD luxury sedan: car has Sport suspension settings; 4-wheel multi=mode speed-adjusted steering; anti-drift mechanisms; paddle shifters; and launch cycle. Strong performance bias for what is foremost a land yacht.

In the video my post above: the driver engaged simply the Launch cycle on an ordinary road at a ordinary stoplight and churned a 3.9. Car and Driver would have been at a prepped dragstrip, probably ran through the bleach block, maybe done a (4-wheel??) burnout; and had a pro driver shifting on the paddles.

Famously, I believe in 1930, Ettore Bugatti stated, in French, that "Mr. Bentley is very clever....he builds the fastest lorries in Europe". Bugatti designed light, quick handling cars which approach he advocated as the future of racing and personal transportation but the vehicles had failed to that time to beat the big, heavy and powerful Bentley.
Click to expand...
BBM
They may want to rethink that "launch cycle" name. Also the video you linked has the narrator say "this is like driving a cruise missile". Given these recent events I cringed a little.
 
branmuffin said:
IWhether that was a medical emergency, a mechanical problem with the vehicle, or related to illegal substances we probably won't know.
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From what I'm reading, there probably wasn't enough of either of them left to do an autopsy.

Did anyone here see the picture of Paul Stanley on X (FKA Twitter) getting an IV - IN HIS HOTEL ROOM? Now, that is room service.
 
ilovewings said:
Just what I was thinking- I mean it looks so easy- load your car with explosives, hit the accelerator and drive over 100 mph and there ya go- lots of dead bodies ----what an idea for suicide bombers who are thinking "why didn't I think of that" - it scares me---
Click to expand...
Variations of this have happened many, many times over the years. Someone did that in Europe a few years ago and killed almost 100 people.
 
CuriousQuiet1 said:
MSM now reporting it is a 2022 model year so newer than this recall.

Also, interior trim panels seem to be the problem with the Australia recall. Australians drive on the wrong side of the road so the accelerator pedal is under the A pillar trim panel, toward the outside of the car. The North American version accelerator pedal would be near the center tunnel/console. I'm not saying it couldn't have other issues but the problem with the Aussie version doesn't translate to the same problem with the North American car.

Model year reported as 2022 here.
Click to expand...

Flying spur is the model.
I looked up Bentleys yesterday and saw that model and thought oh no say that is not the model. $300,000 for a car that has more issues then most cars.

motorandwheels.com

Bentley Car Problems: 11 Most-Common Issues (Explained) | Motor & Wheels

Bentley vehicles are renowned for their style, elegance, and poise.
motorandwheels.com motorandwheels.com

…

I’ll take a corvette any day over a bentley.
 
I’d like to know a bit more about the couple‘s stop at the casino. How brief was the stop, and where was the car parked? Farfetched, but can some type of sabotage to the car be ruled out?

The Villanis had been on their way to Toronto to see KISS, but the concert was canceled when frontman Paul Stanley caught the flu.

They are known to have stopped briefly at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino before the crash about a mile away.

nypost.com

$300K Bentley which crashed and exploded on Rainbow Bridge may have experienced mechanical problems

The crash is now being investigated as a “traffic investigation” by the Niagara Falls Police Department — who believe it was likely either the driver suffering a medical incident or the…
nypost.com nypost.com
 
CuriousQuiet1 said:
MSM now reporting it is a 2022 model year so newer than this recall.

Also, interior trim panels seem to be the problem with the Australia recall. Australians drive on the wrong side of the road so the accelerator pedal is under the A pillar trim panel, toward the outside of the car. The North American version accelerator pedal would be near the center tunnel/console. I'm not saying it couldn't have other issues but the problem with the Aussie version doesn't translate to the same problem with the North American car.

Model year reported as 2022 here.
Click to expand...
RE: The Australian Recall and RH drive....Very good point; never thought of the throttle pedal to the outside edge of a Aus/UK and similar car. The Aus recall did mention "due to inconsistent fitment of the fuse box and the electrical harness the A-post lower trim can protrude into the cabin reducing clearance to the accelerator pedal".

Article attached makes it clear no such concern on a 2022 model and per your point, the prevailing effect not applicable to the NA cars for 2018 thru 2021.

www.wivb.com

As Grand Island mourns prominent business owners, police search for answers in Rainbow Bridge crash

GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just days after a fiery crash at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, police identified the driver and passenger who died and provided new details of the ongoing wreck i…
www.wivb.com www.wivb.com

In fact that fits so neatly you would think they had been following this WS thread.
 
RE: The casino visit...Considering these folks were obviously well off, a casino right on the US/CAN border would be a great place to exchange US$ for C$ especially if you were talking in the upper 4 digit range. Probably works going the other direction too. Probably easier for larger amounts than going to a branch bank. JMO.

OT warning: I grew up due west of NF and at one time when the exchange rate was around 0.85 to 0.90 we would go drinking on the US side for near free, because the floor servers in a tavern would give you change in US$ without applying the exchange rate...So you go across with a pocketful of 20$C bills; get $17.00 US in change each drink. Next morning take your $17. US (times no. of drinks) to a C-Bank and exchange for...Almost 20$ C.

Worked for a short window of time, 45 years or more ago; then the taverns made you exchange cash for cash at the bar, before purchasing any drinks. Or use plastic: which burned you, because the CC companies took a healthy vig when they made the conversion on your statement. That's even worse today, if you use a US bank credit card in Canada.
 
Odeto BJ said:
RE: The casino visit...Considering these folks were obviously well off, a casino right on the US/CAN border would be a great place to exchange US$ for C$ especially if you were talking in the upper 4 digit range. Probably works going the other direction too. Probably easier for larger amounts than going to a branch bank. JMO.

OT warning: I grew up due west of NF and at one time when the exchange rate was around 0.85 to 0.90 we would go drinking on the US side for near free, because the floor servers in a tavern would give you change in US$ without applying the exchange rate...So you go across with a pocketful of 20$C bills; get $17.00 US in change each drink. Next morning take your $17. US (times no. of drinks) to a C-Bank and exchange for...Almost 20$ C.

Worked for a short window of time, 45 years or more ago; then the taverns made you exchange cash for cash at the bar, before purchasing any drinks. Or use plastic: which burned you, because the CC companies took a healthy vig when they made the conversion on your statement. That's even worse today, if you use a US bank credit card in Canada.
Click to expand...
“Canadian $ at par” bar policy …. Is that what they called it?
 
Elley Mae said:
motorandwheels.com

Bentley Car Problems: 11 Most-Common Issues (Explained) | Motor & Wheels

Bentley vehicles are renowned for their style, elegance, and poise.
motorandwheels.com motorandwheels.com
Click to expand...
RSBM
Interesting that per that article Bentley recommends replacing brake hoses every 5 years. I have 4 different brands of cars in my driveway between 8 and 22 years old and I have never replaced a brake hose and never seen a manufacturer have a recommended replacement interval for a brake hose.

I searched NHTSA for recalls and investigations, I found nothing on the Flying Spur in the US.
 
The couple had been in their $300,000 Bentley at the time and had told friends there was a problem with the accelerator in the weeks before the accident. Bentley is yet to comment on the tragedy.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Bentley driver was 'alert and not impaired' in Niagara Falls crash

Vincent A. Ettari, a civil engineer, told The New York Times that he believes Kurt Villani was frantically touching the brakes of his car as it exploded on Wednesday.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
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