March 11, 2010 – West Yarmouth, Mass. – A West Yarmouth car accident Tuesday afternoon follows a recent pattern of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, though it is still unknown if that was the cause of the crash.
Cape Cod Times reports that Ann Wilkins, 70, of Harwich, crashed her 2010 Toyota RAV4 into a medical building. Wilkins told authorities that she was attempting to put the car in park, but instead, the RAV4 flew forward unexpectedly into the building.
Wilkins was transported to Cape Cod Hospital to be treated for her accident injuries. There were no other reported injuries in the Toyota crash. The victim’s family said that they believe the crash is due to the unexpected acceleration issue experienced in recalled Toyota vehicles. When investigated, authorities found that the brake and gas pedals appeared to be in working order.
Due to the conflicting information, authorities are exercising caution before issuing any citations in the accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to inspect the RAV4 and investigate the incident at some point over the next few days. So far, there have been more than 50 deaths attributed to recalled Toyota vehicles.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2008 Massachusetts Crash Statistics, there were 363 fatalities as a result of car accidents in Massachusetts.
