Possible Stuck Throttle May Have Caused Imprisoned Driver’s Toyota Accident, Lawyer Says
A lawyer for a man imprisoned for vehicular homicide says a new inspection reveals a possible cruise control problem that could have caused the crash.
Lawyer Robert Hilliard says a fault in the cruise control of the Toyota Camry driven by Koua Fong Lee could have jammed the throttle into open position, according to ABC News and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Three people were killed in the 2006 accident. Lee was convicted in 2007 despite his insistence that his brakes didn’t stop the car as it sped out of control.
Both Hilliard and a lawyer for the victims said an inspection of the filament in the brake lights suggest that Lee’s brakes were on at the time of impact, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports in a separate story.
Lee is serving an eight-year sentence. Hilliard says there is enough evidence now to support a new trial.
