1300 hp mercury comet brake failure crash

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92b said:
Setting aside the fact that someone was or could have been seriously injured. And in no way do I defend the choices the driver made.
To me it's interesting how it seems to be human nature (myself included) that when an accident happens we go through each moment looking for a way to figure out how it could have been preventented. Or maybe even " how this could never happen to me". Also interesting is how often times it all is boiled down to the person responsible as just being "stupid". That's convenient because nobody wants to believe that some version of this could ever happen to them. And we all like to think that we are all smarter than average. lol.
Another thing I find interesting is how once "stupidity" is deemed the cause of the accident for some it triggers alot of anger. Some people show alot of disdain for those who they consider "stupid". What is the source of all that anger? Is it because they see themselves as a possible victim in the accident? Maybe. If it is possible to see yourself as a victim is it possible to see yourself as the person responsible? Probably not if you believe the person responsible is " stupid" because none of us are stupid. Right?
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I can help You out with that one, when 2 idiots who purportedly represent our hobby/passion/careers show themselves to be negligent imbeciles, it makes Us ALL look that way to the average observer. They are not running in to make excuses for this couple of goofs, they are asking why such a car could be allowed on the streets with "normal" traffic, & most have been brainwashed to hate older vehicles & the activities involving them.
That makes Me angry, & justifiably so, just like the no-prep accident......it simply could & should have been prevented.
 
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mopardude318 said:
**** I’ve been driving without a parking brake for years.
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THANK you for being correct and calling it a PARKING brake.
It is NOT an emergency brake. None of them are. They are meant to keep a vehicle still when it is parked. Drum brake cars with parking brakes only engage one shoe per side. This is far less than 50% as effective as when both shoes engage the drum due to the self energizing function. They can slow a car and skid the tires but should not be considered adequate in an emergency.
 
Some people seem intent on correcting everything they perceive as incorrect, you could take that as being grammar or the term emergency brake versus parking brake terminology.
Call it what you will but there is always one in the crowd.
The term emergency brake originated a very long time ago in the auto industry. Im thinking more of a time of single master cylinders when a hydraulic brake failure meant no pedal and a E brake could slow a vehicle down
Then again cars weren't going the speeds they are today.
When my dad lost brakes due to a failed hydraulic hose over 45 years ago in his 64 C-10 pickup, the E brake in conjunction with using the transmission low gear got him safely home. Then again he was not driving even remotely close to the posted speed limit.
While in the case of this thread, the parking brake would not be adequate to fully and safely stop a vehicle it surely would have been more effective than attempting to put an auto transmission in the park position and thinking a transmission parking pawl would help.
My opinion. is another member here was spot on with his analysis. It is more views of a video which translates into more money. Its outright negligence on the part of the production company and the owner of the wrecked vehicle.
 
I still don’t understand why the driver did not simply turn the engine off via the keyed ignition or a kill switch.
To me that is just another error in the chain of mistakes that lead up to the final event.
In my 68 Barracuda I have in addition to the ignition key a toggle switch nearby that controls power to the ECU.
Shuts down the motor immediately.
 
92b said:
Setting aside the fact that someone was or could have been seriously injured. And in no way do I defend the choices the driver made.
To me it's interesting how it seems to be human nature (myself included) that when an accident happens we go through each moment looking for a way to figure out how it could have been preventented. Or maybe even " how this could never happen to me". Also interesting is how often times it all is boiled down to the person responsible as just being "stupid". That's convenient because nobody wants to believe that some version of this could ever happen to them. And we all like to think that we are all smarter than average. lol.
Another thing I find interesting is how once "stupidity" is deemed the cause of the accident for some it triggers alot of anger. Some people show alot of disdain for those who they consider "stupid". What is the source of all that anger? Is it because they see themselves as a possible victim in the accident? Maybe. If it is possible to see yourself as a victim is it possible to see yourself as the person responsible? Probably not if you believe the person responsible is " stupid" because none of us are stupid. Right?
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I've done plenty of stupid things. Got really lucky on a few occasions, of beyond stupid, not to have killed myself of someone else. Motorcycles/cars etc. That said; all of that ended around age 25.
You're 100% right we've all done stupid things, and so did these guys....and at their age, and experience(?) they really should know better.
1300HP, throttle sticking, brakes stinking and get on it heading toward traffic? It's stupid. and they deserve to be called stupid for it. We all should expect to be called stupid by people if we do stupid things.

My throttle was sticking on my stock 318 Duster just a month ago at about 1200 rpm. Not much danger here, I didn't have to ride my brakes. I babied it home on the back streets and fixed it in 5 minutes, because something was wrong.

I think the anger comes from them seeming to not give a **** about the people in the van. They act as if they just ran into an unoccupied parked car.
 
65TerrorCuda said:


Lets see, no handbrake, sticking throttle and riding the brakes. Chevy engine in a Ford, what could go wrong. Never heard how the minivan driver turned out
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I never had a cable stick wot before and if I ever did... I'd turn the key OFF before letting it gain that much speed and ramming into another car. I'd also never put a chevy in anything that wasnt chevy.
Love how they just aim and close their eyes.
 
92b said:
Another thing I find interesting is how once "stupidity" is deemed the cause of the accident for some it triggers alot of anger. Some people show alot of disdain for those who they consider "stupid". What is the source of all that anger? Is it because they see themselves as a possible victim in the accident? Maybe. If it is possible to see yourself as a victim is it possible to see yourself as the person responsible? Probably not if you believe the person responsible is " stupid" because none of us are stupid. Right?
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Anger is a defensive mechanism, and these people are a threat, or possibly better called a menace, to the sensible people on the roads. You don't get angry when you picture your wife or kids or parents in that minivan? Because I guarantee whoever was in there has somebody else seeing them go through that pain and that pisses ME off, and I don't know them, but I can picture my kids (that I don't even have) in that back seat. FYI, kids in rear-facing car seats don't fare too well when rear-ended).

I'm STILL suffering from getting rear-ended in 2003, and that wasn't NEAR as bad as this.

mopar head said:
Most definitely bragging.
I`ll give the guy some credit on the restoration though, looked like great body and paint work, but he may have started out with a cherry car. It is a cali. car I`d assume.
I know I`d be devastated, having spent near 10 years on my 52.
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That's why i like working on them better than driving them.

Killer6 said:
I can help You out with that one, when 2 idiots who purportedly represent our hobby/passion/careers show themselves to be negligent imbeciles, it makes Us ALL look that way to the average observer. They are not running in to make excuses for this couple of goofs, they are asking why such a car could be allowed on the streets with "normal" traffic, & most have been brainwashed to hate older vehicles & the activities involving them.
That makes Me angry, & justifiably so, just like the no-prep accident......it simply could & should have been prevented.
Click to expand...

Do I need to make another account to get more of those green checkmark thingies, or can I just buy some, or what?

my68barracuda said:
I still don’t understand why the driver did not simply turn the engine off via the keyed ignition or a kill switch.
To me that is just another error in the chain of mistakes that lead up to the final event.
In my 68 Barracuda I have in addition to the ignition key a toggle switch nearby that controls power to the ECU.
Shuts down the motor immediately.
Click to expand...

Even on my four speed car, you have to push the lever thing down to remove the key, but you can still shut it off at any time and it won't lock the steering.
I knew a guy many years ago that had a Chevette. He came to class one day all bruised up. He explained that he could pull the key out while the car was driving, and he'd been jamming down the road finger-******* that key. Pulled it out and accidentally rotated the lock cylinder, which locked the steering, and couldn't get the key back in fast enough.

1980's GM could learn a thing or two from 1970's Chrysler.
 
jos51700 said:
Even on my four speed car, you have to push the lever thing down to remove the key, but you can still shut it off at any time and it won't lock the steering.
I knew a guy many years ago that had a Chevette. He came to class one day all bruised up. He explained that he could pull the key out while the car was driving, and he'd been jamming down the road finger-******* that key. Pulled it out and accidentally rotated the lock cylinder, which locked the steering, and couldn't get the key back in fast enough.
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I went to high school with a guy who thought he'd be smart and turn the engine off in a Chevette while rolling down hill. Yep, he locked the wheel. IIRC it was two broken legs and a broken arm for him. Lucky he didn't die.
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
I never had a cable stick wot before and if I ever did... I'd turn the key OFF before letting it gain that much speed and ramming into another car. I'd also never put a chevy in anything that wasnt chevy.
Love how they just aim and close their eyes.
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I DID have my throttle stick WOT, first drive with the supercharger. Key off, pulled over. No passenger or traffic. Of course my brakes worked. Torque rocked carb into the hood which I hadn't clearanced enough and locked it in WOT. Idled home and got out the jigsaw
 
Kern Dog said:
THANK you for being correct and calling it a PARKING brake.
It is NOT an emergency brake. None of them are. They are meant to keep a vehicle still when it is parked. Drum brake cars with parking brakes only engage one shoe per side. This is far less than 50% as effective as when both shoes engage the drum due to the self energizing function. They can slow a car and skid the tires but should not be considered adequate in an emergency.
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You're right and I agree but that's still no excuse for not having one. At least in a total brake failure you have SOMETHING.
 
how about the locking of the elbows while bracing the wheel... snap snap...pop.
Other dude ate the dash. The fk good is a roll cage without a 5 point harness..
That's like the movie "death proof" w/Kurt Russell. They be dead if it had rolled...they would have needed a shop vac and some flat shovels to pick'em up.


Given no choice but to aim...who else would have aimed between the cars.
I figure a few more kicks to this sumbitch and it'll die for sure lol
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
how about the locking of the elbows while bracing the wheel... snap snap...pop.
Other dude ate the dash. The fk good is a roll cage without a 5 point harness..
That's like the movie "death proof" w/Kurt Russell. They be dead if it had rolled...they would have needed a shop vac and some flat shovels to pick'em up.


Given no choice but to aim...who else would have aimed between the cars.
I figure a few more kicks to this sumbitch and it'll die for sure lol
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I thought about the between the cars thing too. If they HAD to hit traffic, that would have best, imo. The whole incident was 100% totally avoidable.
 
What a waste of what looked like a really sweet car, too bad it belongs to a braindead twat that's completely clueless. Add to that some dickhead "Youtuber" looking for more exposure. There are so many ******* red flags in the first minute or two that those fuckheads completely ignored for the sake of the "shoot". Both of them should be shot, this kind of **** is EXACTLY why so many people want all old cars off the road and deemed unsafe. How many people don't know that when the brakes start to smell, that means they are losing effectiveness, and riding the ******* brakes because the throttle is sticking is the number one stupidest ******* thing the dumb **** could have done.
How about, instead of taking an unsafe vehicle out on a public road, and victimizing an innocent person or persons in that van that **** for brains driver obliterated in his ignorant stupidity.
1300 horsepower from a blown big block, how many people have ever even had a ride in a car with that much power, never mind drive one? I'd bet very few. One of my all time pet peeves is people that can't be bothered to upgrade the brakes when the power is increased, that's just asking for trouble. I see cars at almost every show that are still running an ancient single reservoir master cylinder. What a joke! I've heard excuses ranging from "well it's original, and I don't want to change it" to "yeh, it's on my list of things to get around to someday". I know one guy who built a monster big block Ford for his 77 F150, dynoed at 760 hp, naturally aspirated, his throttle stuck once on a public street, in heavy traffic. He shut the key off and steered it over the curb, destroying a wheel and a tie rod, but nobody got hurt, the truck got towed back to his shop, and everything was repaired and the throttle issue was fixed before it saw daylight again.
The thing that sticks in my mind more than anything else, as it seems with many others, is the complete lack of concern for the occupants of the van shown by the clown in the video, pathetic.
A complete lack of responsibility or accountability as far as I'm concerned.
 
missing linc said:
What a waste of what looked like a really sweet car, too bad it belongs to a braindead twat that's completely clueless. Add to that some dickhead "Youtuber" looking for more exposure. There are so many ******* red flags in the first minute or two that those fuckheads completely ignored for the sake of the "shoot". Both of them should be shot, this kind of **** is EXACTLY why so many people want all old cars off the road and deemed unsafe. How many people don't know that when the brakes start to smell, that means they are losing effectiveness, and riding the ******* brakes because the throttle is sticking is the number one stupidest ******* thing the dumb **** could have done.
How about, instead of taking an unsafe vehicle out on a public road, and victimizing an innocent person or persons in that van that **** for brains driver obliterated in his ignorant stupidity.
1300 horsepower from a blown big block, how many people have ever even had a ride in a car with that much power, never mind drive one? I'd bet very few. One of my all time pet peeves is people that can't be bothered to upgrade the brakes when the power is increased, that's just asking for trouble. I see cars at almost every show that are still running an ancient single reservoir master cylinder. What a joke! I've heard excuses ranging from "well it's original, and I don't want to change it" to "yeh, it's on my list of things to get around to someday". I know one guy who built a monster big block Ford for his 77 F150, dynoed at 760 hp, naturally aspirated, his throttle stuck once on a public street, in heavy traffic. He shut the key off and steered it over the curb, destroying a wheel and a tie rod, but nobody got hurt, the truck got towed back to his shop, and everything was repaired and the throttle issue was fixed before it saw daylight again.
The thing that sticks in my mind more than anything else, as it seems with many others, is the complete lack of concern for the occupants of the van shown by the clown in the video, pathetic.
A complete lack of responsibility or accountability as far as I'm concerned.
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Well said and I echo every word.
 
65TerrorCuda said:
I DID have my throttle stick WOT, first drive with the supercharger. Key off, pulled over. No passenger or traffic. Of course my brakes worked. Torque rocked carb into the hood which I hadn't clearanced enough and locked it in WOT. Idled home and got out the jigsaw
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Lucky for you there was no traffic. Could you imagine if you had got in an accident with another car when the throttle stuck and a somehow it was captured on video? Yikes.
 
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We're all just a brake failure and minivan away from being "that guy"
 
92b said:
We're all just a brake failure and minivan away from being "that guy"
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I think with the power 90% or more of the guys have on this forum, that's an inaccurate statement. Most of our cars would be much easier to slow down and possibly even stop.
 
Debating whether it's a parking brake or emergency brake is moot, since in this case the entire brake system was cooked to the point of being completely nonfunctional. I have in fact used the mechanical brake system on my vehicles to bring them to a stop, and while it certainly takes longer than the hydraulic brake system, it's only working on one axle. A properly functioning and adjusted brake system should be capable of at least slowing the vehicle down using the park or emergency brake, thereby mitigating the effect of the impact to a degree.
As I mentioned earlier, far too many people have the mindset that the factory brake system is still perfectly adequate, hell, it wasn't nearly adequate then, that's why there have been so many improvements to brake systems over the last 50 or more years. The first thing any enthusiast should upgrade is the brakes. So few do because it's not something that is seen as critical, until a crash happens that could easily have been avoided. Drum brakes, in my opinion are barely adequate for a bone stock slant 6 car, hell even the most anemic 4 cylinder import cars had front disc brakes since the very early 1970s. I could not see in the video any shots of the rear brake system on that Comet, but the tiny rotor visible behind the front wheel doesn't look capable of stopping anything much bigger or more powerful than a 1980s Toyota Corolla. Poor engineering combined with bad decision making lead to an incident where an innocent person was victimized simply by being out and about doing whatever business they had to that day. I do not believe in the bullshit of "wrong place, wrong time" when someone is placed in harm's way by the actions of another. It's not their fault because they were on the road anymore than it would be if they were on a plane that crashed.
The driver should have stopped the car in a safe place and not driven it again until the sticking throttle was corrected, the fool hosting the video should have insisted on stopping the shoot and getting out of an obviously unsafe vehicle.

We've likely all done stupid things and won stupid prizes in our lives, it's when we put the safety of others in jeopardy that a line is crossed and we deserve the blame for the results of our actions.
 
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missing linc said:
The driver should have stopped the car in a safe place and not driven it again until the sticking throttle was corrected, the fool hosting the video should have insisted on stopping the shoot and getting out of an obviously unsafe vehicle.
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Exactly!
 
Not sure if someone else mentioned this but the other cars occupants had minor injuries. Driver had a broken arm and other injuries. If you go frame by frame you can see him brace for impact and his arm bend the wrong way. He put out a video after the accident talking about it and pretty much sending an open invitation for a nice lawsuit for the people that got hit. Admitted to everything including the sticking throttle after the fact.

This guy should be allowed to be behind the wheel of a golf cart.
 
Steve welder said:
Some people seem intent on correcting everything they perceive as incorrect, you could take that as being grammar or the term emergency brake versus parking brake terminology.
Call it what you will but there is always one in the crowd.
The term emergency brake originated a very long time ago in the auto industry. Im thinking more of a time of single master cylinders when a hydraulic brake failure meant no pedal and a E brake could slow a vehicle down
Then again cars weren't going the speeds they are today.
When my dad lost brakes due to a failed hydraulic hose over 45 years ago in his 64 C-10 pickup, the E brake in conjunction with using the transmission low gear got him safely home. Then again he was not driving even remotely close to the posted speed limit.
While in the case of this thread, the parking brake would not be adequate to fully and safely stop a vehicle it surely would have been more effective than attempting to put an auto transmission in the park position and thinking a transmission parking pawl would help.
My opinion. is another member here was spot on with his analysis. It is more views of a video which translates into more money. Its outright negligence on the part of the production company and the owner of the wrecked vehicle.
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It’s not a grammar contest to correct people who are claiming that things could be avoided if the “emergency brake” was put into use, the brain case behind the wheel was putting a ton of force on the brake pedal like his life depended on it, having a working parking brake wouldn’t do him any good, and acting like it would CAN cause others harm in the future.

Want the fix? Forget the brakes, they had nothing to do with it; the sticking throttle, ignoring warning signs and hotdogging a broken car are what need focused on. With a properly fitted and functioning parking brake the wreck happens 100% the way it did without it, dude didn’t even kill the engine, you think having some other doodad to mess with would turn things around? The guy is the reason carbs got anti tamper screws.
 
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