Authorities are investigating mechanical failure as the potential cause of a deadly incident on Rainbow Bridge that occurred in Niagara Falls on Nov. 23rd. Two people tragically died when their 2022 Bentley, a luxury car model, crashed and burst into flames.
Mayor Robert M. Restaino revealed that the Niagara Falls police are gearing up to serve Bentley Motors with a subpoena. The police are seeking information stored in the vehicle's black box, which the car manufacturer is reportedly refusing to release willingly.
The Mayor, while speaking to The Buffalo News, confirmed that Bentley officials instructed the police to seek legal channels in order to retrieve data from the black box. This crucial information would give insights into the vehicle's speed at the time of the incident, and whether the driver applied brakes or not.
Restaino underscored that the preliminary findings strongly point to a mechanical malfunction as the probable cause of the accident. The authorities found no evidence suggesting reckless or deliberate over-speeding by the driver, Kurt Villani, leading to the catastrophic crash that catapulted the vehicle over an 8-foot fence before it exploded near the inspection booths.
The Mayor also clarified that police had ruled out a medical emergency as a factor in Villani’s supposed high-speed and erratic driving towards the bridge. Prior to the incident, Villani and his partner briefly stopped at the Seneca Niagara Casino for a currency exchange, intending to attend a concert by the rock band Kiss in Toronto.