Driver’s Brakes Did Not Fail in Rollover Crash: Cops

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL —The brakes on a car that ran a red light, and collided with another car in Arlington Heights Saturday afternoon, did not fail, authorities said Tuesday. The driver of a 2014 Toyota Camry, a 54-year-old Palatine man, originally told police his brakes failed while heading west on Northwest Highway at Ridge Avenue, which lead to him going through a traffic signal at about 3:45 p.m. The Camry collided with a Chrysler Town & Country, causing the van to roll over and come to rest on its roof.

Authorities downloaded the 2014 Toyota Camry’s Event Data Recorder, commonly referred to as a “black box,” following the crash, which showed the car was traveling at about 33 MPH, with the cruise control activated, as it approached the intersection prior to the collision, according to a news release from police. The driver of the 2014 Camry did not apply his brakes until less than one second before the impact, police determined.

“Once they were applied, the brakes on the 2014 Toyota Camry were successful in reducing the 2014 Camry’s speed from 33 MPH down to 19 MPH in less than 1 second (an exceptional rate for nearly any vehicle),” authorities wrote in a press release. “Thus, the allegation of a brake failure was refuted by the evidence.”

The driver of the Chrysler, a 41-year-old Arlington Heights woman, was wearing her seatbelt and sustained minor injuries, according to a news release from the Arlington Heights Police Department.

The woman's two children, ages 8 and 10 years old, were not injured, according to police.

The Palatine driver was not injured cited for running a red light, police said.