Toyota Prius Crashes in NY; Police Suspect Stuck Accelerator

(March 10) -- In another blow to Toyota, a suburban New York woman driving a 2005 Prius flew out of her driveway across a busy street and smashed into a stone wall. A stuck accelerator pedal is suspected, police said.

The 56-year-old woman, who was not identified, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash Tuesday in Harrison, N.Y.

A floor mat problem that Toyota has blamed on some acceleration problems was not a factor because the mat was tied to the seat base with plastic ties, acting police chief Anthony Marraccini said, according to published reports.

Police said the driver lost control when the stuck pedal "shot" the vehicle forward, according to the New York Daily News.

Marraccini said the Prius crossed a busy street and hit the wall so hard that "several boulders were hurled about 10 feet from the crash site."

The car is being analyzed at police headquarters.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide. In some cases, floor mats can cause the accelerator to stick.

The New York crash came a day after a California man said he couldn't slow his 2008 Prius after the accelerator got stuck; the vehicle eventually reached 94 mph.

While Toyota dispatched a field team to investigate the case in California, it was not clear whether the company would send one to New York.

In Southern California, James Sikes, 61, called 911 Monday after he tried to loosen his accelerator with his hand.

"My car can't slow down," he told the emergency dispatcher.

It took Sikes 23 minutes to bring the car to a halt. He got help from California Highway Patrol officer Todd Neibert, who gave instructions over a loudspeaker as they traveled on Interstate 8 in San Diego County.

Neibert told Sikes to shift to neutral, but the driver shook his head no. Sikes told reporters he didn't go into neutral because he worried the car would flip, according to The Associated Press.

Neibert said he told Sikes to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brakes as the Prius neared 85 mph. The car slowed to about 55 mph, at which time Sikes says he turned off the ignition and the car came to a stop, according to the AP.

"The brakes were definitely down to hardly any material," Neibert told reporters Tuesday. "There was a bunch of brake material on the ground and inside the wheels."

The officer found the floor mat properly placed and the accelerator and brake pedals in correct resting position.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the company wants to question Sikes.

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