Witness: Michael Hastings’ speeding car ‘shook my car like a freight truck going by’

[Cali_Democrat]

Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News

A driver who witnessed the fiery crash that killed journalist Michael Hastings says the vehicle the 33-year-old was driving shook his car "like a freight truck" as it flew by early Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.

"Was stopped at a red light tonight when a pearl white Mercedes flew past," Michael Carter wrote on Facebook a few hours later. "It shook my car like a freight truck going by. Saw it burst into flames a quarter mile down the road when it hit a tree."

I was stopped at the light at Santa Monica [Boulevard], headed south on Highland [Avenue]. I looked down to turn my radio down, and this car just blasted past me through the red light—it shook my car. No telling how fast the driver was going. A taxi driver was in the far right lane and we looked at each other, both saying, "What the hell was that?"... By the time the light changed, I could only see the tail lights of the white Mercedes—it was probably past Willoughby by then which was the next red light that I got stopped at. The Mercedes was flying down Highland. The same cab driver pulled up to the light at Willoughby [Avenue] and I looked over at him again in disbelief. Right as I did, the cab driver said something to the effect of, "He didn't make it." The [Mercedes] was all the way south of Melrose [Avenue] at this point.

I looked down Highland and saw a giant fireball at the base of one of the palms that line the medians on Highland. It was surreal.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/hastings-crash-witness-113514329.html

Let me guess...the NSA and the FBI "got to" this witness?

[Cali_Democrat]

1. The FBI Isn't Buying the WikiLeaks Conspiracy on Michael Hastings

After WikiLeaks inserted itself into the death of journalist Michael Hastings by announcing that he asked them for help with an FBI investigation "hours before he died," many saw the leaking group's tweet as not just inappropriate but as the latest in a series of cries for attention — and others jumped on conspiracy theories concerning the car accident that killed an innocent, talented 33-year-old reporter. But now the FBI is coming out in favor of the Julian Assange publicity-stunt theory: "At no time was journalist Michael Hastings ever under investigation by the FBI," the agency's L.A. field office spokesperson told Hastings's hometown paper in Vermont on Thursday.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/06/fbi-wikileaks-michael-hastings/66478/

[FarCenter]

2. Any indication that Hastings suffered from bipolar disorder?

This would fit with uncontrolled manic phase behavior.

[pnwmom]

70. Or Assange could be lying. nt

[MADem]

3. Hastings may not have been working on a "national security" story, either.

He was hired as a "Correspondent-at-large" in the LA office. His portfolio at Buzz Feed included Entertainment and Entertainment Industry stories, as well as National Security stuff.

He was branching out in this assignment, apparently. http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpress/buzzfeed-announces-los-angeles-bureau

Michael Hastings will bring his hard-hitting reporting on national security and politics to the BuzzFeed Los Angeles Bureau while contributing to entertainment coverage as a Correspondent-at-Large.

[cali]

12. Are you saying he was lying?

[Cali_Democrat]

13. it was wikileaks so said hastings told them he was under investigation....wikieleaks said this AFTER

he died.

For all we know, wikileaks could be lying. Unfortunately Hastings is not here anymore.

I'm tending to believe the FBI in this case when they say there was no investigation of Hastings.

[MADem]

16. Lying about what? nt

[TeeYiYi]

4. Maybe his accelerator was stuck...

What normal person would blow at least two red lights in a row, going 80+ mph?

TYY

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Stuck by accident?

or stuck by somebody or some agency trying to kill him?

[TeeYiYi]

6. I don't know why it would be stuck...

...but the witness said it shook his car like a freight truck going by. Mercedes' don't behave like freight trucks unless something is up. Maybe he had it geared down to try to slow the car. In a lower gear, it might sound like a freight truck...

Also, the other guy said, "He didn't make it." That sounds to me like he suspected the driver of the Mercedes was in trouble.

TYY

[Bodhi BloodWave]

43. I didn't understand that as sounding like a truck, more akin to the wind from the speed of the car

as it passed was strong enough to shake the car(as can happen if a truck charges past ya)

[HooptieWagon]

7. Throttles no longer get "stuck".

Every newer vehicle, of which I'm aware, no longer has a physical connection between the das pedal and the engine. The gas pedal has a sensor which sends a signal to the computer. The computer takes that signal, inputs it into a program with inputs from other sensors, and then sends a signal to the throttle position mechanism.
So, the throttle cannot become physically stuck. Absent a signal from the computer, the throttle will return to idle.
It is possible faulty or substitute software will incorrectly position the throttle. I have not heard of a single instance of Mercedes having a problem with faulty software. The likelyhood of substitute software is low. It would involve accessing the computer, which is located within the vehicle (usually under the dashboard or behind kick-panels), removing the chip, and either re-burning the chip or replacing it. A) this is time-consuming, which increases the risk of being caught. B) This could be easily detected afterward by analysis of the chip, which is evidence the vehicle was tampered with. C) The plot would be easily thwarted by shifting to neutral or turning off the ignition, before the vehicle's speed reached a dangerous rate.
The computer also controls the anti-lock brakes, traction control, and stability control (which helps prevents skids), if the vehicle is so equipped. The above conditions also apply (ease of detection, easily thwarted, etc).
While mechanical failure or sabotage is possible, the actual probability is much lower than other possible causes. And LE reported that no mechanical issues were found in the wrecked vehicle.
At this point, I would say the most probable possible causes (in order of probability) are:
1) Under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
2) Reckless speed and loss of control.
3) Medical problem.

[TeeYiYi]

8. ”stuck” being a catch all term for...

...'accelerating out of control for some unknown mechanical reason.'

I think he was in trouble and tried to slow the vehicle by downshifting. That would explain the impression of a freight truck rumbling by, blowing the doors off the witness at the light.

It would also explain the dropped transmission and ultimate fiery crash as he lost control of the vehicle.

TYY

[flamingdem]

9. What happened to the transmission?

was that found on the road before the accident spot?

[TeeYiYi]

11. Yes...

At least 50 feet if I'm recalling correctly.

TYY

[zappaman]

21. It was found beyond the accident.

Car hit tree.
Car stopped.
Engine kept going.
Tree still there.

[TeeYiYi]

25. The transmission was beyond the accident? ...

I've read the engine and transmission were both 100 feet from the accident. (No particular direction.) I've also read that the transmission was 50 feet ahead of the accident.

I don't know which is accurate, if any. I do think it's odd that the transmission was separated from the car.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

28. Engines/Transmissions are connected to body structure with rubber mounts.

...for the purpose of isolating vibration, and preventing failure of drivetrain and mounts due to body flex. The rubber mounts are of an interlocking captive design, to restrain the drivetrain in case the rubber fails. However, its entirely likely the captive feature would fail in an exceptionally violent shock or impact.

[MADem]

65. Yes--he also ran over a hydrant before he hit the tree. Sheared it off down to the ground. nt

[HooptieWagon]

19. "Freight train" could been the wind blast.

Witness could have been more specific. And to slow unintended accelleration, it is incorrect and ineffective to downshift, since the throttle remains wide open. Downshift only correct and effective when throttle is closed, such as proceeding downgrade at controlled speed. The proper response to unintended accelleration is to shift to neutral. The engine will race, and probably destroy itself, but it will be disconnected from the drive train, and steering and brakes remain operational keeping car under control until it can be stopped. If engine hasn't blown, then ignition can be shut off...keeping in mind turning off ignition key locks the steering.

The transmission likely broke from the car as a result of the violent crash. Transmissions don't "drop". Catastrophic failure usually a failure of rotating internal parts, which may or may not exit the housing, at which point the vehicle coasts to a stop.

[TeeYiYi]

27. I appreciate all of your reasoned responses...

Not sure a Mercedes would make the same ”wind blast” sound as a freight truck.

Personally, I have a hard time believing that a previously normal person would one night decide to turn into a 100 mph, multiple red light blowing douchebag. If it turns out he has a history of speeding tickets, I might be persuaded otherwise.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

35. Re-reading the article, I'm sure he was refering to wind blast.

He said it shook his vehicle like a freight truck going by. Have you ever had to change a flat beside a highway? Yes, the wind from the trucks definately shakes your vehicle. Have to make sure the jack is stable so the car doesn't fall.

[TeeYiYi]

38. Yes I have...

...and the wind blast from a freight truck is entirely different from that of a car. The truck can almost pull you underneath it. There is also the sound and vibration from a truck that you don't get from a car.

For some reason, Michael Hastings' car gave the witness the sensation of a freight truck passing him while standing still. Otherwise, he might have said, ” That car blew my doors off.”

My question is, what was it about the Mercedes that made it seem like a freight truck rather than a speeding car?

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

39. A high rate of speed.

Double the speed, and wind blast goes up by a factor of four. If he passed a couple feet away from a stopped carat a high rate of speed...lets say 80, 90, even 100 mph...then there would be a significant wind shock on the stopped vehicle.

[zappaman]

40. Indeed.

And the witness was describing what it felt like, not being literal.

[TeeYiYi]

45. Yes, but it would still be...

...the wind shock of a fast car and not that of a freight truck. It should have reminded him of a speeding car, not a speeding freight truck. The two are completely different from each other.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

47. Well, a gas car motor sounds completely different than a diesel truck engine...

...and a car weighs far less and doesn't shake the ground. So you explain it...

[TeeYiYi]

49. I think he might have been referring to more...

...than just the wind blast. Something about that car passing him at a high rate of speed, shook his car as though it were a freight truck passing.

My thought is that there was a sound or vibration coming from the car that shook his car more than a normal speeding car would. Especially since it was an aerodynamically streamlined sports car.

Maybe the engine was redlined in a lower gear...increasing the sound and vibration?

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

54. A gasoline engine at any rpm, sounds completely different than a diesel truck

And there's no possible car vibration that would shake the witness's car. If the car had a mechanical failure, it wouldn't be able to be driven at a high rate of speed.
Witness wasn't making a litteral comparison. He was making an analogy.

[TeeYiYi]

56. It was a poor analogy if that's the case...

I work as a flagger, sometimes on the freeway, and I guarantee you there is nothing analogous about a Mercedes and a freight truck driving past you at 100 mph.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

60. He didn't compare it to a truck at 100.

He said the passing car shook his car, like a truck went past. Reasonable to assume he meant a truck at normal speed. The guy isn't making a scientific comparitive analysis, hes was making a rough analogy

[TeeYiYi]

61. Then why compare it to a truck at all?

” Woah, that car passed me like a freight truck doing 35 or 40 ! ! ! ”

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

63. Look, you're being deliberately dense.

I am quite done.

[zappaman]

48. What difference does it make?

The witness used a metaphor to describe how his car shook when a car traveling 100mph flew right by him.
Are you concerned the witness was mistaken and it wasn't a car, but an actual freight train?

[TeeYiYi]

50. Are you being facetious?

TYY

[zappaman]

52. No, I'm not.

Why are you so hung up on the description of a car flying by at 100mph?
I truly don't get it.

[TeeYiYi]

53. I think there may have been...

...something mechanically wrong with Michael Hastings' car so the comparison of a Mercedes to a freight truck gives credence to my theory.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

57. What mechanical failure even allows a car to be driven at 100 mph

and sounds like a diesel truck? You're grasping at straws. The car was a newer model, Mercedes have no record of mechanical failures that still permit them to be driven at high speed.

[TeeYiYi]

59. Tachometer redlined in 3rd or 4th gear...

...as he's downshifting, trying to slow the car. The mechanical issue being that he has lost control of the accelerator and/or the brakes.

TYY

[HooptieWagon]

62. A redlined gasoline motor still doesn't sound like a diesel truck.

Mercedes have no track record of unintended accelleration. I have not heard of a adingle case. And down-shifting does nothing to stop the car if the throttle is wide open. Shift the car to neutral and it can be safely braked and steered to a stop. If there was a brake failure (again unheard of in a Mercedes), the dual circuit design, required on all cars sold in the US since 1968, still permits at least 2 wheels to retain braking. And theres still an emergency handbrake available. The probability of an impaired or reckless driver is many thousands of times greater than the probability of a runaway car. Him being a journalist doesn't change those figures.

[Incitatus]

66. With the enemies Hastings had, I don't think replacing a microchip in a car would be that difficult

There is no evidence of foul play, of course.

Then again, I wouldn't expect any evidence to be left. We are not talking about amatuers.

[HooptieWagon]

68. Considering risk of being caught...

and that a chip causing unintended acceleration is readily defeated by simply placing the transmission in neutral, why would "professionals" see that as having a favorable risk/success ratio? Certainly there are easier methods, with lower risk, and higher probability of success?

Or look a raw numbers...there's perhaps 10,000 drunk drivers kill themselves per year. Maybe axnother 3 to 5 thousand reckless drivers? How many political assasinations per year...one? Less than one? So the likelyhood of this being a common accident is 15,000 times greater than a political assasination. Thats pretty remote odds.
Now, if there is one shred of evidence, actual evidence not conjecture, that he was murdered...then I'll accept a high probability that it was a political assasination. We'll see.

[pnwmom]

71. You're assuming a reporter was driving a "newer vehicle."

Our own vehicles date back to 1997 and 2002.

But I think you're 3 guesses are all reasonable.

[HooptieWagon]

72. The pictures were of a newer model Mercedes.

I haven't seen the specific year mentioned, but it wasn't an old jalopy. Retail price new for that model is in the 35K range, which is slightly above average for all cars. And he wasn't a low paid beat reporter working for a local fish-wrap, he had written a commercially successful book, for which he was paid a $500,000 advance according to stories.

[Rex]

10. Break lines?

Maybe somebody cut them. Would not be the first time.

[HooptieWagon]

31. Very unlikely.

When he first started the car, and stepped on the brake to shift out of "Park", the brake pedal would be spongey and sink to the floor, and a warning light displayed. Further more, brake systems since 1968 have a dual-circuit design...failure of the brakes at one wheel still guarantee at least 2 brakes maintaining function.
Cutting the brakelines is a movie thing.

[Rex]

37. Oh is that just a movie thingy?

I wonder if he has any speeding tickets or has a history of reckless driving? I am perfectly willing to entertain the notion that 'shit happens' as well as someone tampering with his car.

[HooptieWagon]

41. Well, I saw it all the time on Rockford Files.

However, in real life a warning light would be displayed, and some brake function retained due to a dual-circuit failsafe syste, before the car even moved from parking space. So sabotaging a car by cutting a brakeline is rather ineffective. Plus, it leaves evidence of homicide, since investigators can easily tell if a brakeline is cut vs, sheared off in a crash.

[Rex]

42. Yeah I've only seen it on CSI-ish stuff.

And I am sure you have seen it to...they get to driving THEN realize the brake line is cut!!! Shows what I get for believing the crap I see on TVEE.

[HooptieWagon]

46. I actually had a brake failure once.

On a dual axle trailer equipped with surge brakes. I slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a car that cut arross a couple lanes of traffic to make an exit, decided they couldn't make it, and came to a stop in my lane. This happened on an interstate going through downtown Chicago. Of course, being a trailer there was no warning light, and no dual-circuit brakes. However, almost immediately I could tell the trailer brakes weren't operating properly, and pulled off at next exit. Removing the wheel and brake drum, I found the brake shoes had ripped loose, along with the hydraulic cylinder, and wrapped around the spindle. It was night, and no repair or parts facilities open, so I folded over the end of the broken brake line a couple times, and clamped it down with vise-grips. That left 3 of the 4 trailer brakes operational and got me as far as Atlanta, where I was able to get parts.

[malaise]

64. Ditto n/t

[cbdo2007]

14. Hackers can control auto computer systems now....

hopefully for his sake, Hastings was passed out or already dead throughout this terror ride they took him on before the crash.

[Archae]

18. "They" took him on?

You have ANYTHING to show who "they" are and that "they" caused the crash?

Didn't think so.

[cbdo2007]

29. I don't need proof, I'm on an interweb message board with

a bunch of wacko conspiracy theorists.

I wish I could live in your world where noone is suspicious of anything. Let me guess, you think Abe Lincoln died of natural causes too??

[Archae]

30. No, a rabid Confederate sympathizer shot him.

And there is being suspicious.

And then there is checking under your bed for New World Order agents and assassins 14 times after you go to bed, with a 12-gauge pump shotgun under your pillow.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

44. well, since we are speaking of hacking, wouldn't anonymous be a prime suspect in that case

after all, they are supposedly very good hackers

caveat: no, i don't think anonymous is behind what happened, until we have tox report et al I'll withhold final judgement(tho i will admit to leaning 'slightly' toward an accident by default due to Occam's razor.)

[Smarmie Doofus]

58. As part of a much larger conspiracy.

>>>>. No, a rabid Confederate sympathizer shot him.>>>>>>

[HooptieWagon]

33. Very unlikely.

Most auto functions are controlled by a computer, yes. The computer is located inside the vehicle, so it would entail accessing the interior of the vehicle, removing the chip, re -burning or replacing the chip. The only "remote" function is doorlocks, as far as I'm aware. It would not be possible to reprogram the computer chip remotely.

[Vinca]

15. I haven't been following this all that closely, but . . .

I was under the impression most Mercedes were powered by diesel fuel which isn't explosive in the way regular gasoline is. Something just doesn't feel right about this "accident."

[Cali_Democrat]

17. "most Mercedes were powered by diesel fuel "

That's not true at all. Whoever told you that lied to you.

He was driving as Mercedes C250 which uses unleaded gas, 91 octane.

[MineralMan]

20. Mercedes does make some diesel autos.

The one in question is not one of those. A violent collision at high speed always has the risk of a ruptured fuel tank. Fires are not an uncommon result, and they can be very spectacular, as anyone on a fire department can tell you. 15 or 16 gallons of gasoline makes a big, hot fire.

[MADem]

23. That's just not true. Mercedes trucks, sure. Vehicles are gas powered, diesel powered, and hybrid.

There are plenty of gas powered Mercedes vehicles on the road.

Additionally his car was a C class, not a big vehicle and they haven't yet started making those as diesels or hybrids--but they are planning on it next year, per this article.

http://www.dailytech.com/Next+Generation+Mercedes+CClass+to+Add+Diesel+Hybrid+Models/article30370.htm

[LuvNewcastle]

24. Someone told me recently that Mercedes isn't selling

diesels in the U.S. anymore. I think it's because of environmental laws; diesel is dirtier than gas.

[MineralMan]

22. I noticed that there was no mention of any other

vehicle following, either.

[graham4anything]

26. I bet he was texting while driving and took his eyes off the road. Have the police checked his phone

In New Jersey they are voting on a new law that will allow the police to see if a driver in a crash was texting or talking on a
phone. A law that I think and hope will cut down on accidents.

It is quite irresponsible of people. There have been cases where a car with one person has crashed into a van filled with people and killing all the people in the van.

Maybe there will be a way that once in a car, text and phone are neutralized so they no longer work while the engine is on.

who knows, it is only a guess.

[HooptieWagon]

32. I'm sure they will, if allowed.

Although my observations of texters/ph talkers is they usually slow down rather than speed up. The big problem is they drift out of their lane, rearend a slowing car in front, or run a stopsign/redlight.
Still, it would be informative if his ph records are checked, GPS too, if that is permitted under Cali law.

[DesMoinesDem]

51. That is by far the worst theory I have seen.

He didn't notice he was driving 100 mph running through red lights but he was able to stay in his lane for blocks because he had his head down texting?

[Cleita]

34. That sounds like a diesel eighteen wheeler, not a new Mercedes.

Could something have gone wrong with his engine that cause a big malfunction? I know Mercedes once made cars with diesel engines but do they still? I haven't come across one in a long time.

[HooptieWagon]

36. No, the witness said it shook his car.

Which indicates it was the wind blast of a vehicle passing at high speed.

I am unaware of any instances of unintended accelleration in Mercedes vehicles. And if it were to occur, shifting the transmission to neutral permits the vehicle to be brought to a stop under control.

Mercedes trucks have diesels. Some auto models are available with diesels. Its my understanding the model in question is not currently available with a diesel, but next year will be.

[burnodo]

55. no. the witness is a CIA operative

isn't it obvious?

[mhatrw]

67. Either he tried to commit vehicular suicide or else his car malfunctioned

either by accident or by design.

Accidents happen. So do assassinations that marginally look like accidents.

[Hekate]

69. No small airplanes? Sorry: this is just too sad, and the CTs were starting before the body was cold

We need all the courageous journalists we can get, and the loss of this one so early in life is terrible.