Police: Brakes did not fail in Arlington Heights crash Saturday
Arlington Heights police have eliminated a driver's claim of brake failure as a contributing factor in a rollover crash Saturday afternoon at Northwest Highway and Ridge Avenue.
Nevertheless, police said no further citations will be issued to the 54-year-old Palatine man beyond the ticket he received the day of the crash for disobeying a red light.
Police also corrected their earlier report to say the Palatine man's 2014 Toyota Camry was headed west on Northwest Highway, not east, when it struck a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and caused it to roll over onto its roof.
Police investigated the driver's claim that his brakes had failed by looking at the Camry's Event Data Recorder, commonly referred to as a "black box."
The device showed the driver had been traveling at 33 mph with his cruise control activated as he approached the intersection. He did not apply his brakes until less than 1 second before the crash, but even in that short amount of time, the Camry's speed reduced from 33 to 19 mph.
The driver of the Chrysler Town & Country, a 41-year-old Arlington Heights woman, was properly belted in at the time of the crash and suffered minor injuries. Her two children in the vehicle, ages 8 and 10, were unharmed.