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1-Old-Man

(2,667 posts)

90. It might be better to think of it as the car landed in front of the drivetrain

Wed Jul 10, 2013, 04:08 PM

Jul 2013

Also, and you'd have to check on this, but I believe the engine and drivetrain are connected by a torque-tube in this application so whatever energy was applied to rip the engine out would also have had some effect on the drivetrain. At any rate I wouldn't claim to know how what happened but I do know that when the forces in an accident become strong enough to dislodge the engine that nothing else is safe either and parts will be scattered to the winds, so to speak. Other than that they all should be moving in about the same direction its hard to say much about where they will land.

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"Mercedes Says THEIR CARS JUST DON'T BLOW UP!": The Michael Hastings Car Crash [View all] Segami Jul 2013 OP

I put "Mercedes crash fire" into Google and got plenty of examples hack89 Jul 2013 #1

There is a difference between fire Harmony Blue Jul 2013 #27

It didn't "blow up" hack89 Jul 2013 #30

Where is the other car/s involved in the accident? xtraxritical Jul 2013 #44

It hit a hard, unyielding object at a high speed hack89 Jul 2013 #48

'it exploded like a bomb' ~ eyewitness statement right after the crash. sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #47

"It sounded like a freight train going through" - heard after every tornado hack89 Jul 2013 #58

Didn't say it was a bomb, it was someone acting way out of character over the days preceding sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #62

well something changed the direction of the motor questionseverything Jul 2013 #70

The engine went south hack89 Jul 2013 #77

ty 4 link questionseverything Jul 2013 #106

Considering that the car hit a tree hack89 Jul 2013 #107

He was under enormous pressure. He sent an email that scared his friends hack89 Jul 2013 #78

In this rare instance, I'll side with a corporate statement over the government's. reformist2 Jul 2013 #2

corporate vs. gov't naaman fletcher Jul 2013 #18

perforate any gas tank... add a spark and you'll get a fire ProdigalJunkMail Jul 2013 #3

At about 2:00 in the video you can see water bubbling out of the fire hydrant he sheared off FarCenter Jul 2013 #10

Hydrant's are mounted with shear bolts so that they shear off easily when hit. xtraxritical Jul 2013 #46

They are heavy and strong and can damage the underside of a car even after they have sheared off. FarCenter Jul 2013 #81

Doesn't matter NutmegYankee Jul 2013 #94

The questions here are really not about the car or even the speed, but about Cleita Jul 2013 #11

My thought exactly. tblue Jul 2013 #34

Over 100mph in a residential neighborhood I believe? Very strange indeed anneboleyn Jul 2013 #83

That's not true. Authorities believe it was less than 80 MPH but frankly until the forensic Cleita Jul 2013 #91

yeah, but they usually still have a relatively intact drivetrain... nebenaube Jul 2013 #21

these investigators say hastings was working on endgame article questionseverything Jul 2013 #71

Doesn't anyone know how to place an apostrophe anymore? mattclearing Jul 2013 #4

Why comment? Auntie Bush Jul 2013 #14

why not? if news outlets can't get the language right, i doubt they get the news right either. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #53

It's a post about a journalist, so it's relevant. n/t mattclearing Jul 2013 #96

Discussion board? nt woo me with science Jul 2013 #108

It's beyond me... xtraxritical Jul 2013 #49

That's an extremely important observation as opposed to the topic of the OP. sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #51

it's actually fairly important, as it tells us something about the media's ability to gather & HiPointDem Jul 2013 #55

thank you. i can't believe how awful 'journalism' has become. it used to be something like HiPointDem Jul 2013 #52

My problem exactly. mattclearing Jul 2013 #97

also care & quality in general. the ptb make a great display of talking about it, but i notice HiPointDem Jul 2013 #99

No. They are to be sprinkled about liberally, like birdseed REP Jul 2013 #75

I'm 37, and I feel like a fossil for caring. mattclearing Jul 2013 #98

the crash is stankily suspicious Berlum Jul 2013 #5

Duh! malaise Jul 2013 #7

He was speeding through a residential street. Beacool Jul 2013 #6

And family says this was highly unlikely from Hastings nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #22

Not without something being physically plugged into the car at the time REP Jul 2013 #74

Dr. Kathleen Fisher of DARPA Trailrider1951 Jul 2013 #102

Thanks for the info. There are many unanswered questions, but I guess Cleita Jul 2013 #8

They absolutely must have an INDEPENDENT investigation. We need to keep asking questions, too. chimpymustgo Jul 2013 #23

A ruptured fuel tank can make ANY car "explode." MineralMan Jul 2013 #9

So, are all head-on crashes into solid objects Segami Jul 2013 #19

Most are. Some are suicides, too. MineralMan Jul 2013 #24

What gives you the idea Segami Jul 2013 #25

Occam's Razor. MineralMan Jul 2013 #26

So, you happen to see a car with a man and a woman speeding down your street Segami Jul 2013 #32

I did not see such an incident, so I have no opinion about it. nt MineralMan Jul 2013 #33

You also didn't witness the Michael Hasting's crash Segami Jul 2013 #35

That is correct. I did read a number of accounts of the crash, MineralMan Jul 2013 #36

lol! Segami Jul 2013 #38

There's always the Holiday Inn too I suppose! sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #60

William of Ockham -- fallacious to apply to all circumstances anneboleyn Jul 2013 #85

How was I "foreclosing" discussion? MineralMan Jul 2013 #86

"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate" anneboleyn Jul 2013 #92

They can, but this isn't evidence. caseymoz Jul 2013 #41

Well, sometimes the crash itself is the evidence of murder. Segami Jul 2013 #100

No, the disabled airbag was the evidence caseymoz Jul 2013 #105

And what caused the ruptured fuel tank to occur in the first place? Someone who 'was acting sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #57

Yes, you are speculating. MineralMan Jul 2013 #59

Then why are you speculating if you don't speculate about things like this? sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #63

The physical facts of that car wreck are pretty solid. MineralMan Jul 2013 #65

And you are speculating that the physical facts, as reported, are the entire story of how sabrina 1 Jul 2013 #68

No, I'm not. I have neither speculated that they are MineralMan Jul 2013 #69

Suicide or murder ???? olddots Jul 2013 #12

I believe Michael Hastings was murdered, for what it's worth. LiberalAndProud Jul 2013 #13

Who do you think murdered him? Cali_Democrat Jul 2013 #28

I don't know. Nor am I reporting on the facts of the matter. LiberalAndProud Jul 2013 #73

His car didn't spontaneously explode. Cali_Democrat Jul 2013 #15

Maybe so, but they do burst into flames when they hit something -- a lot. onenote Jul 2013 #16

Yes but this was an explosion. caseymoz Jul 2013 #50

I love it - that reporter ain't buying the official line that foul play wasn't involved! reformist2 Jul 2013 #17

Mercedes cars don't blow up according to Mercedes Progressive dog Jul 2013 #20

+1 bunnies Jul 2013 #31

In this case, he's right. caseymoz Jul 2013 #54

How extensive are the test? Has Mercedes tested this with an investigative reporter as a driver? AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #29

Regardless of what actually happened in the Hastings crash.... Jerry442 Jul 2013 #37

All vehicles already have one. Its called a gear slector lever. HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #39

According to Wikipedia... Jerry442 Jul 2013 #43

If for some reason you can't shift to neutral.... HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #64

Car & Driver agrees with you. Jerry442 Jul 2013 #79

i can just see the drop in sales on this exchange. Bodhi BloodWave Jul 2013 #40

Odd that the drive train was in the street behind the wreck. n/t Egalitarian Thug Jul 2013 #42

could you explain for those of us who aren't mechanical? HiPointDem Jul 2013 #56

Just that the reporter said the engine, transmission, and rear end were scattered Egalitarian Thug Jul 2013 #95

Here's some photos for perspective. Segami Jul 2013 #101

So, the twinkie was just completely wrong & got the directions bassackward. Egalitarian Thug Jul 2013 #104

Was Michael Hastings' Car Hacked? Richard Clarke Says It's Possible Jeroen Jul 2013 #45

Its also possible Aliens attacked him. HooptieWagon Jul 2013 #82

sometimes, handmade34 Jul 2013 #61

believe in physics questionseverything Jul 2013 #72

Yes, it's suspicious. caseymoz Jul 2013 #66

I don't know; that looks like an extremely hot fire... KansDem Jul 2013 #67

Hasting's Mercedes didn't blow up. Scurrilous Jul 2013 #76

Drive train (not sure about the engine) is BEHIND the car...an impact would have launched angstlessk Jul 2013 #80

The engine landed in front of the wreck - as you would expect. nt hack89 Jul 2013 #84

But the drive train was BEHIND the auto..why is that? Why would the drive train just FALL OFF? angstlessk Jul 2013 #87

There are post in this thread that talk about a sheared off fire hydrant hack89 Jul 2013 #88

It might be better to think of it as the car landed in front of the drivetrain 1-Old-Man Jul 2013 #90

Assignations are not all done by high velocity bullets... angstlessk Jul 2013 #93

! zappaman Jul 2013 #89

I wonder what the crash test specs are felix_numinous Jul 2013 #103