Mercedes explodes after being driven by a drunk driver.
In yet another serious accident caused by a combination of alcohol, driving, and powerful cars, in less than a week, in the country's largest city, three people narrowly escaped a crash followed by an explosion and flames.
247, with Agência Estado - A black Mercedes-Benz Kompressor hit a lamppost and caught fire early this morning in the west side of São Paulo. Three people were in the car, and all got out on their own. The driver appeared to be drunk and did not suffer serious injuries. The two passengers were not wearing seatbelts and were taken to the Hospital das Clínicas by witnesses, but are doing well. The accident occurred on Avenida Sumaré.
Firefighters sent five teams to the scene. The driver of the Mercedes was taken by military police from the 2nd Company of the 23rd Battalion to the 23rd Police District in Perdizes. As he appeared to be intoxicated, the on-duty police chief sent him to the Forensic Medical Institute to undergo alcohol level tests. "He (the driver) told me he had only had two 'small beers'," said police chief Giuliano de Migueli.
In an interview with estadão.com.br, the driver of the Mercedes said that he was cut off by another vehicle, tried to swerve, and ended up hitting the lamppost. "I was only slightly above the 60 km/h speed limit on the road. The police will see that I'm telling the truth when they check the speed cameras installed on the avenue," said the driver, who did not want to be identified.
The maximum speed allowed on that stretch of Avenida Sumaré is 60 km/h. However, according to the police chief, a witness stated that the driver must have been going over 100 km/h.
Last Saturday, the 9th, a drunk driver was traveling at approximately 150 km/h in a Porsche on Rua Tabapuã, in Itaim Bibi, when he collided with the vehicle of lawyer Carolina Menezes Cintra Santos. She died instantly, and he was arrested on the spot for intentional homicide – when there is intent to kill. In the early hours of last Sunday, a driver lost control and ran over eight people who were on the sidewalk in the São Miguel neighborhood, in the eastern zone of São Paulo. The victims were rescued and taken to the Itaim Paulista, Santa Marcelina do Itaim Paulista, and Geral de Guaianazes hospitals, all in the eastern zone.