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Car into crowd Billerica?

The Lynnway auction is owned by Herb Chambers, he bought the old Lynnway business and moved it to the much larger Billerica location.
A good percentage of all the cars traded-in at his 55 dealerships end up there.
He hires a lot of retirees to shuttle the cars around on the grounds, the news is saying the driver of the Jeep was in his mid 70's.
Don't know of it was a medical issue with the driver or a mechanical issue with the vehicle.
I know from experience that a lot of cars traded-in have mechanical issues, largely unknown to the auction houses.
All they do is clean them up to make them look presentable, they don't check them for mechanical issues unless they don't run.
It's possible the Jeep had a sticking throttle issue that wasn't known about and caught the driver by surprise.
I myself have had to deal with a stuck throttle problem several times, luckily I didn't panic and knew enough to quickly turn off the key.
However, with all the new cars with keyless (pushbutton) start, it's not so easy. You can't just push the button and kill the engine, they don't work like that. If you have a car with pushbutton start, try it for yourself while driving down the road, hitting the button will not stop the engine. It's designed like that so an accidental tap of the button won't shut the engine off while you're moving over 10 mph. You have to hold the button down for 3-5 seconds to kill the engine, but in this situation, that's way too long.
 
Zappa said:
The Lynnway auction is owned by Herb Chambers, he bought the old Lynnway business and moved it to the much larger Billerica location.
A good percentage of all the cars traded-in at his 55 dealerships end up there.
He hires a lot of retirees to shuttle the cars around on the grounds, the news is saying the driver of the Jeep was in his mid 70's.
Don't know of it was a medical issue with the driver or a mechanical issue with the vehicle.
I know from experience that a lot of cars traded-in have mechanical issues, largely unknown to the auction houses.
All they do is clean them up to make them look presentable, they don't check them for mechanical issues unless they don't run.
It's possible the Jeep had a sticking throttle issue that wasn't known about and caught the driver by surprise.
I myself have had to deal with a stuck throttle problem several times, luckily I didn't panic and knew enough to quickly turn off the key.
However, with all the new cars with keyless (pushbutton) start, it's not so easy. You can't just push the button and kill the engine, they don't work like that. If you have a car with pushbutton start, try it for yourself while driving down the road, hitting the button will not stop the engine. It's designed like that so an accidental tap of the button won't shut the engine off while you're moving over 10 mph. You have to hold the button down for 3-5 seconds to kill the engine, but in this situation, that's way too long.
Click to expand...

No way the throttle can overpower the brakes. If you've got a stuck throttle and you want to stop moving, either put it in Neutral or... first instinct would be to smash the brake pedal. Shutting off the ignition is not even on the radar of things to do unless you're trying to protect the engine.
 
1. Yikes.

2. Hey hey hey - I know 2-3 honest used car guys. Let's not let the 99% give the other 1% a bad name.

3. Those auctions are funny. They have rules about you checking the car out before you take it off the lot. Just in case you bought a pig in a poke. My local guy had a run-in with an auction house in CT that allowed 1 mile but had no place to drive it ON THE LOT. So dealer took it on street and MAJOR trouble. "Sorry, you took it on the street." He made a big stink and got his $ back.

4. Step on the brake. Just like the Toyota issue. "I'm stepping on the brake." No. In fact in many cases (some were floor mats), they were NOT stepping on the brakes. LOL
 
Lynnway Auto Auctions sucks.
I work in the area (1/2 mile away) and it is a sh!t show.
I can't count the number of times I've been almost been t-boned at the Rangeway Rd/Rt 129 intersection, by "Used Car Cowboys".
That said, sorry for the killed and injured.
 
enbloc said:
Lynnway Auto Auctions sucks.
I work in the area (1/2 mile away) and it is a sh!t show.
I can't count the number of times I've been almost been t-boned at the Rangeway Rd/Rt 129 intersection, by "Used Car Cowboys".
That said, sorry for the killed and injured.
Click to expand...

I wish Herb (Who is an ass I'm told) would have taken it elsewhere. His traffic sucks at the intersection.

Stomping on the brake is the first thing. Haven't driven many cars that can overcome that.
 
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dragonballzz said:
No way the throttle can overpower the brakes. If you've got a stuck throttle and you want to stop moving, either put it in Neutral or... first instinct would be to smash the brake pedal. Shutting off the ignition is not even on the radar of things to do unless you're trying to protect the engine.
Click to expand...

Also in newer push button cars, most of them when in auto mode (not sport) will not allow the throttle to remain on when you push the brake.

If you put my Cadenza in D auto and push the bake and gas at the same time, the engine will not rev above a low value (I think it's 1200-1500 rpm) and the injectors basically restrict fuel to high idle levels.

If you put the car into manual shift or use the paddle shifters, the car allows the engine to rev with the brake applied.


All that said, shifting to N is the best approach if you have a wireless key car and the throttle goes full retard.
 
Runaway jeep? Isn't that how Chekov died?
Anyone check to see if all mirrors were accounted for?



Seriously though. That sucks. Thoughts with the families affected.
 
headednorth said:
Actually it was a Jeep, and the Jeep has its roots in the military, sooo...

MILITARY STYLE ASSAULT VEHICLE!!1!
Click to expand...

Civilian car auctions are no place for military asssult vehicles. Was it a jeep with a collapsible top, 30 cu feet of cargo space and an exhaust tip that dissipated the fumes in such a way you couldn't notice it running. Especially in the cold? Did it have a hitch in the FRONT that allowed for towing behind an RV, or maybe a winch lug?
 
I guess I will out myself as a slimy car dealer as most of you refer to us as [laugh]

Old guy did the wrong foot mash down will be my bet...Pretty common at the auctions and this happens more than people know..Framingham had a few people pushed through a wall last year but no one was killed somehow.. Londonderry NH a year before that

Most of the drivers at these auctions work 1 day a week...At almost every auction I go to the average age of a driver has to be in the mid to high 70's..Hell most of them look like they can barely walk never mind drive

Was pretty dis heartening to watch the news and see the security guards trying to fight back all the ass clowns who wanted video on their phones of the after math..Never mind help or just get the hell out of the way so people helping can work
 
My son works there ( thankfully he does not work in that building ). It was a bad scene. Apparently a scanner was hooked up right as the Jeep was about to enter the building. The car went WOT and the guy panicked. I can't imagine the scanner could cause that, but not certain. There is easily 75-100 people in the building bidding on cars. One of victims was a auction employee, it was her first day. :(

My son was disgusted by the amount of idiots trying to film it with their phones. My condolences and prayers for the families.
 
My BIL is in auto body and he and his brother buy cars at auction from time to time to fix up and sell. I asked if he goes to this one. He said he avoids it because they drive the cars around too much too close to the crowds instead of just parking them and walking around them.
 

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