#CarCrash

We’re guessing a trip to the dealership for service is a routine affair for most people, but sometimes things go sideways. There are all sorts of stories of cars being dropped off lifts and about dealer employees taking nice cars for joyrides. One thing we haven’t seen, at least until now, is a car falling down an elevator shaft. Oh, and this car happens to be a Ferrari Roma, which can cost more than $300,000 in some cases. 

The elderly man who drove the SUV involved in a crash that resulted in three deaths at a Massachusetts auto auction last Wednesday hasn’t held valid driving credentials in several years. Apparently, the 76-year-old man — whose name remains withheld — had his license suspended in 2012 after numerous incidents a year earlier, including impeding traffic, missing inspection stickers, and a license plate violation. It was never reinstated. His driving record also shows seven other accidents dating back to 1987 and license suspensions on four separate occasions.

Lynnway Auto Auction released a statement after his driving history became public. “We were unaware of the change in status of the driver’s license until the police told us after the accident,” explained Lynnway president Jim Lamb. “When we hired him in 2010, he had a valid Massachusetts driver’s license. As he has had no issues while driving for Lynnway for the past seven years, we were surprised and upset to learn this development.”

Three people were killed and at least nine others injured on Wednesday when a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee suddenly accelerated into a crowd of customers at an auto auction in Billerica, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. Driven by a LynnWay Auto Auction employee, the SUV impacted attendees and proceeded to crash through a concrete exterior wall.

Massachusetts State Police issued a tweet Friday, stating, “At this point, there is no evidence or information to suggest the incident was caused by an intentional or terrorist act. All evidence and information at this time suggests an accidental cause.” It is, however, continuing its investigation into what exactly caused the accident.

Did this Romanian driver have his seat in the full, upright position (and seatbelt fastened) before his vehicle hit cruising altitude?

The brief blip that showed up on radar screens earlier this month turned out to be a compact hatchback making a Dukes of Hazzard-worthy leap over a roundabout.

These days, with the nanny-state enforcers of IngSoc and Agenda 21 mandating 3,000 pounds of safety gear on each new motor vehicle, it’s refreshing to hear that folks in the very early days of motoring got some good yuks out of the idea of impalement on the tiller of a curved-dash Olds. We’ve dug up this 1904 Cal Stewart recording of “Uncle Josh In An Automobile” to demonstrate.