[bwilson4web]

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_18149201

PASADENA - A martial arts student punched the lights out of her gym Thursday morning when she crashed her Toyota Prius through the storefront and struck an elevator shaft, trapping an employee inside.

"I was going to class, and as I was parking in the parking space, the car wouldn't turn off and it kept going even though my foot wasn't on the accelerator," said Terry Young of Pasadena. "It continued to accelerate into the wall and continued to move after I was out."

Young's car slammed into the Shan Tung Kung Fu martial arts center in the Roosevelt Place strip mall in the 2200 block of Colorado Boulevard, then plowed through a wall before coming to a stop inside the elevator shaft.


Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news...#ixzz1NWjIuYZh

The photo shows an NHW20 Prius. Another article reports:

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_18145626

. . .
"I was going to class, and as I was parking in the parking space, the car wouldn't turn off and it kept going even though my foot wasn't on the accelerator," said driver Terry Young of Pasadena. "It continued to accelerate into the wall and continued to move after I was out."
. . .

From a third article:

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktl...,2504516.story

. . .
She said her Toyota Prius would not stop, even after she pulled the keys out of the ignition.
. . .

This sounds like a classic case of accelerator pedal entrapment which emphasizes the importance to understand:

Shift to "N" and live!

You can shift a Prius (actually any car) to "N" and the engine control computer will keep it from blowing up. Even if the engine is lost, gaining control of the car is key and once in "N", there won't be any power going to where you don't want to go! But this is not a natural act.

Do yourself a favor and practice shifting into "N". Go to a quiet street with no traffic or a parking lot and while running, mash the accelerator and as the car takes off, shift into "N". The first time, it is new and a little intimidating but they you'll learn it is 'no big deal.' But don't forget to train your kids and wife and husband and anyone else who might drive your car. Shift to "N" and live.

Bob Wilson

[bwilson4web]

Predictable:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...om-filing.html

An attorney representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Toyota asked a Los Angeles judge Friday afternoon for an emergency order to preserve evidence after a Toyota Prius drove through a Pasadena mini-mall, trapping a woman in an elevator.
. . .
Attorney John Kristensen, who is representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Toyota in Los Angeles County Superior Court, said he has asked a judge to issue an emergency order preserving any evidence in the case. Kristensen said a hearing on the matter is scheduled to be held Tuesday morning.

The lawsuit focuses on sudden acceleration on a variety of Toyota vehicles, including the Prius.

Since I've been monitoring Prius accidents, I've been seen a lot of non-Toyota, runaway accidents. Usually someone is parking and "varroom" over the barrier and into front door. One of the things the guys at AutoLine Daily pointed out is it never seems to happen with the manual transmission cars. . . .

Bob Wilson