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Raw footage of the crash - that Mercedes (appears to be a 2012 C-Class Coupe) is totally engulfed. The car blew up on impact. How is another question. http://w

Raw footage of the crash - that Mercedes (appears to be a 2012 C-Class Coupe) is totally engulfed. The car blew up on impact. How is another question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LSY3wVuASg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LSY3wVuASg

cheald 13y ago
I thought that cars exploding on impact were pretty much the stuff of Hollywood. Mercedes in particular is well-known for their cars' safety. This doesn't smell right.
- dakrisht 13y ago
  Here he is running a red light at high speed (looks like he's traveling well over 80mph) at the intersection moments before the crash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNhqKRugk8Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNhqKRugk8Q
dakrisht 13y ago
At 5:00 you can see the entire transmission torn off maybe 200-300 feet away from the crash site. Witnesses report seeing the car driving at a high rate of speed (100+ mph). Damage on the front of the vehicle is extensive and there is debris everywhere - now the question is - would the car explode on impact given the speed or would the fuel tank/pump be cut-off from the engine/electrical systems. Yes and no.
Amadou 13y ago
Correction for anyone likely to be disappointed as I was - raw footage of the fire after the crash. The guy with the video camera gets there and interviews an eye witness after the car is already burning. What is amazing to me is just how much the entire car burns. I really don't know anything about car fires but it looks crazy how much the entire vehicle is engulfed in flames from what appears to be a one-car head-on accident in a relatively new mercedes. I had a, I guess unfounded, belief that a modern luxury-brand car would be fairly fire retardant. Not much you can do about gasoline and the tires, but seems like all the interior upholstery and cushions, etc could be reasonably non-flammable.
- dredmorbius 13y ago
  Having seen a few car fires (including several arsons): once they do catch fire, they tend to burn for a good 10-30 minutes, depending on variables. There's a lot of plastic in cars, and that's little more than solid oil. Accelerant will help start the process. And yes: fires in the event of accidents are fairly rare, even at high rates of speed.

cheald 13y ago

I thought that cars exploding on impact were pretty much the stuff of Hollywood. Mercedes in particular is well-known for their cars' safety. This doesn't smell right.

dakrisht 13y ago
Here he is running a red light at high speed (looks like he's traveling well over 80mph) at the intersection moments before the crash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNhqKRugk8Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNhqKRugk8Q

dakrisht 13y ago

At 5:00 you can see the entire transmission torn off maybe 200-300 feet away from the crash site. Witnesses report seeing the car driving at a high rate of speed (100+ mph). Damage on the front of the vehicle is extensive and there is debris everywhere - now the question is - would the car explode on impact given the speed or would the fuel tank/pump be cut-off from the engine/electrical systems. Yes and no.

Amadou 13y ago

Correction for anyone likely to be disappointed as I was - raw footage of the fire after the crash. The guy with the video camera gets there and interviews an eye witness after the car is already burning. What is amazing to me is just how much the entire car burns. I really don't know anything about car fires but it looks crazy how much the entire vehicle is engulfed in flames from what appears to be a one-car head-on accident in a relatively new mercedes. I had a, I guess unfounded, belief that a modern luxury-brand car would be fairly fire retardant. Not much you can do about gasoline and the tires, but seems like all the interior upholstery and cushions, etc could be reasonably non-flammable.

dredmorbius 13y ago
Having seen a few car fires (including several arsons): once they do catch fire, they tend to burn for a good 10-30 minutes, depending on variables. There's a lot of plastic in cars, and that's little more than solid oil. Accelerant will help start the process. And yes: fires in the event of accidents are fairly rare, even at high rates of speed.