NEWPORT BEACH, California — A 24-year-old passenger in a Ferrari was killed on Christmas Eve when the driver of the car jumped the center divider and crashed into a tow truck going in the opposite direction. The accident happened at about 5:15 p.m. on Thursday and has been attributed to excessive speed, rather than alcohol or other factors. Police are still investigating the crash, however.
Ralph Abinader of Huntington Beach was identified by the Orange County Register as the deceased passenger. The driver, whose name has not yet been announced, is being treated at a local hospital and is reported to be in critical condition. The driver and passenger of the tow truck were treated for minor injuries and released.
Several witnesses said they saw the gray Ferrari traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash. The car split in two and caught on fire, and 18 firefighters responded to the accident, news reports said.
This is the third high-profile crash of a Ferrari in the area in recent years. In 2006, a $1-million-plus Enzo crashed and split in two near Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, and last March a Ferrari Modena and a Porsche spun out of control in Newport Beach, and the Ferrari's driver was killed.
Inside Line says: More money than sense appears to be the problem here. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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speedrcr says:
07:27 AM, 12/29/2009
The problem is not simply more money than sense...you can look at this and see various smaller 'causes' that snowballed into one big 'effect'...
1.) Driver inexperience - not being able to effectively drive the car within its limits (regardless of being on a track or not)
2.) Poor Judgement - driving that fast on public roads...regardless of vehicle type... when will people learn?!?
3.) Impressionable - I bet this person saw one too many YouTube videos or "Fast n Furious" movies
4.) Need to show off - Who wouldn't look cool behind the wheel of a Ferrari doing 120 MPH?!?
5.) No Restraint - That voice in your head telling you to slow down!....should've listned...
I can go on and on...but our nature is always to find one general root cause...and then find someone to blame!...this...and many situations like this are never that simple.
deathtollwrx says:
08:43 PM, 12/28/2009
Why are people so stupid? I'll never get over people doing this. It's one thing to endanger your own life but to endanger everyone on the street?
4g63 says:
02:44 PM, 12/28/2009
prayers to the vitcims family. driving a ferrari doesnt make u michael schumacher.
subafly says:
12:20 PM, 12/28/2009
What is so news worthy worthy about this? I assume it was included here because it was a Ferrari. But the model/year wasn't even included. 93aero "dug it up" but it still doesn't make this a story. I suppose anything to help direct traffic to your site...
sharpend says:
12:10 PM, 12/28/2009
In fact, way more people are killed in just a regular average normal vehicle.
Bad drivers are bad drivers no matter what the car.
Bad driving, reckless driving, ignorance, inattentiveness, and stupid mistakes are usually the causes of accidents - not the vehicle.
93aero says:
11:10 AM, 12/28/2009
and yes, it was in fact an F430; 2009.
93aero says:
11:09 AM, 12/28/2009
heres so background for WreckedExotics. "The Ferrari was apparently a gift from a father to son. The father was in his 90's, the son in his 70's. The grandson was the one driving the car with his cousin in the passenger seat. The passenger was killed instantly". Brains over money indeed, but this is more a case of money + irresponsibility. I'd never let my kid drive such a fast car, unless i was there for it. You cant just let someone joy ride in your Ferrari and not see something bad happen.
hokiehigh says:
10:48 AM, 12/28/2009
With all these Ferraris split in two during crash, I see a recall on the way. unless you hit a tree or poll sideway, headon collision should not split the car in two.
firstclass says:
10:29 AM, 12/28/2009
New Ferrari: 200,000 dollars... Ferrari racing gloves: 51 dollars...sunglasses you can wear at night: 100 dollars... crashing into a tow truck and ending your friends life......Careless.
I can only speculate by the rims that it was a F430, i don't know how the driver survived.
felonious says:
10:19 AM, 12/28/2009
Actually, money can buy driving skill, if you use it to take a lot of driving schools. Wisdom, however, is required for that and cannot be purchased.