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The driver of a Bentley that exploded on Rainbow Bridge earlier this week was “alert and not impaired” as he braked desperately, an expert has claimed.
Vincent A. Ettari, civil engineer, said The New York Times that he thinks Kurt Villani was frantically braking his 2022 Flying Spur as it blew up on Wednesday.
Villani and his wife Monica, both 53, were on their way to a KISS concert when the horror accident took place on Wednesday.
Vittari, who is an expert witness on road design in court cases, said dark vapor behind the car seen in surveillance footage suggests Villani was not intoxicated at the time and that he knew what was happening.
He told the outlet, “At 100 miles an hour, everything is on the table,” with authorities yet to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with the vehicle.
In this image from security video, a light-colored vehicle, top center, flies over a fence into the Rainbow Bridge Customs Plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, NY.
Vincent A. Ettari, a civil engineer, pictured here, said he thought Villani was frantically touching the brakes of his car when it exploded Wednesday.
Kurt Villani, 53, was killed along with his wife on Wednesday when their Bentley lost control and crashed on Rainbow Bridge. It is shown in 2014
The couple had spent $300,000 Bentley at the time and had told friends there had been a problem with the accelerator in the weeks before the crash. Bentley has yet to comment on the tragedy.
Niagara Falls Police Chief John Faso told local media Friday that the investigation into what caused the car to cross an intersection, hit a central reservation and take off would continue.
According to Faso, investigators are looking into whether medical or mechanical issues may have contributed to the incident.
The car crashed into a row of security checkpoints at Rainbow Bridge and burst into flames.
The wreck sparked widespread concern on both sides of the border, as videos and images of what appeared to be the aftermath of an explosion began circulating online and authorities closed the bridge and three others nearby passages.
Authorities investigated for several hours before the FBI office in Buffalo said it found no signs of a terrorist attack and referred the matter to local police as part of a traffic investigation.
Online business records and the company’s website indicate the victims’ family owns Gui’s Lumber and seven Ace Hardware locations in New York, with his family operating the business since the mid-1980s.
The families and the logging company said in a joint statement released by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office Friday: “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has sent us their prayers, condolences and best wishes.”
“At this point we ask for confidentiality so we can begin the healing process.”
Law enforcement officers block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Wednesday, November 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls
The couple was driving a 2022 Flying Spur, similar to the vehicle shown in the photo above.
The Niagara Falls Police Department said the investigation into the crash will take time given the complexity of the crash.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called it “surreal” and said the vehicle had been “essentially incinerated” with nothing but the engine and a scattering of charred debris.
“You actually had to look at it and ask yourself, was this AI generated? » Hochul, a Democrat, said Wednesday during a news conference. “Because it was so surreal to see. How high did this vehicle go into the air, then the crash, the explosion and the fire.
On Thursday, members of the Grand Island community honored the couple as a generous and caring couple.
“You know, I plow everyone’s driveway out of love, you know what I mean? Just always willing to help and lend a hand. Always. always always. They were just really kind and wonderful people,” resident Mary Meyer said.
The huge explosion occurred when the car crashed at an immigration checkpoint.
Workers block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the United States and Canada, Wednesday, November 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Chuck Meyer added, “Without being asked, they would just give and give gifts, and that’s the kind of people we lost.”
Since the incident, it has been revealed that Bentley has recalled some car models in 2021 because the accelerators remained stuck, sparking safety fears.
The automaker issued the recall in summer 2021 for Continental GT and Flying Spur models built between 2018 and 2021.
The recall notice cited a manufacturing defect that caused the throttles to jam when engaged.
“Due to inconsistent mounting of the fuse box and wiring harness, the lower A-pillar trim may protrude into the cabin, reducing clearance to the accelerator pedal.
“If the accelerator pedal is fully depressed while driving and fails to return to its resting position, the vehicle will continue to accelerate, even when the driver’s foot is removed from the accelerator pedal,” may we read in the notice.
Wednesday’s incident is not the first time a horrific accident has claimed the life of a member of the Villani family.
In July 1978, Villani’s grandmother, Lorraine, was killed when she was thrown from a boat traveling along the Niagara River at 3 a.m. Kurt M. and his wife, Gail Villani, were also on board at the time but were unharmed.
The boat hit a bridge while Lorraine Villani was at the helm. The family then successfully sued the company that built the bridge, after it was found to have been improperly lit, for $120,000 in 1984.
Online records show the Villani family owns a range of properties in the Grand Island area.