A month after a vehicle explosion killed a New York couple at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, American police are seeking a subpoena to compel car manufacturer BentleyMotors to release records to help them determine the cause of the fiery crash.
Niagara Falls, N.Y., police are working to get the release of records for particular vehicle in crash
Samantha Beattie · CBC News
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As the investigation continues into what caused a carto crash at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing last month, American police say they're seeking a subpoena to compelcar manufacturer Bentley Motors to release records.
Married couple Kurt P. Villani and Monica Villani, both 53, of Grand Island, N.Y., were killed in the collision on the bridge that connectsNiagara Falls, N.Y. with Ontario on Nov. 22.
Kurt was driving the 2022 Bentley Flying Spur and Monica was in the passengerseat, confirmed John Faso, Niagara Falls Police Department superintendent.
Security camera footage shows a car travelling from the U.S. at high speed toward the Rainbow Bridge. It's seen hitting an object and flying into the air before crashing on the ground and exploding in flames.
WATCH | What happened on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge: 10 months ago Duration 2:27
Car crashes and explodes at Rainbow Bridge border crossing, killing 2
Initially, the incident was investigated as possible terrorism, and authorities closed theRainbow Bridge and four other border crossings. It was later ruled out and is now being treated as a traffic investigation.
Faso said in a statement that officers had recovered the vehicle's "black box" data recorder, although it was "severely damaged."
Bentley says it will release infowith subpoena
Bentley Motors has provided police withdocumentation about past vehicle recalls and general information about the black box, Faso said. However, he said,the companyhasrefused to release personal information or records about the Villanis'particular vehicle without subpoenas.
Officers are working with the district attorney's office to secure those subpoenas, said Faso.
Bentley spokesperson Erin Bronner told CBC Hamilton the company hasn't refusedto provide the information.
"Because the data pertains to personal information, to remain legally compliant, we must first receive a subpoena," Bronner said. "We will continue to co-operate with the investigators, and in the meantime our thoughts remain with the affected family."
Bentley has issued recalls for the 2022 Flying Spur, but relatedto entertainment screens brackets, incorrectly installed seat-belts and incorrect airbag information, according to the U.S.'s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The 2021 Flying Spur had been recalled for accelerator pedals getting stuck, but only for right-hand driving cars issued in Europe and Australia, and "not connected in any way" to Bentleys in North America, said Bronner.
On its website, Bentley describes its Flying Spur as a "luxury sedan" with "effortless power." The eight-cylinderengine has a maximum speed of nearly 320 km/hand can accelerate from zero to 96 km/h in four seconds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Beattie is a reporter for CBC Hamilton. She has also worked for CBC Toronto and as a Senior Reporter at HuffPost Canada. Before that, she dived into local politics as a Toronto Star reporter covering city hall.
