Ferrari crash in Newport this morning...

Now we are getting somewhere, doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the pattern with these cars that make Corvairs look safe in some accidents. Mike Hawthorn crashed his Jag Saloon into a tree at 100mph and it bent he was in the back seat as if asleep in one piece, crash a 360 or 430 you'll be in pieces like the car if at high enough speeds. Seems newer cars break apart much easier the 996 referencd in a accident pic here are junk and weak compared to a 911.

 

Not true i hit a curb got airborn then went thru a block wall and then hit a tree, the 04 360 spider was destroyed but the drivers compartment was intact.

 

As it should be. But I guess all the cars with a total failure of the structure either don't count, are aberrations, or just haven't happened.

 

And they say more charges are coming...Says the guy swerved into the side of Masks car causing his to lose control..

Conviction could mean 19 years' jail in Ferrari crash

Deputy D.A.: Porsche driver registered 0.13 blood alcohol level.





NEWPORT BEACH – A Costa Mesa man with two drunken-driving convictions was charged this morning with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the crash that killed a mixed martial arts entrepreneur early Wednesday.
Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, could get a maximum of 19 years, eight months in prison if convicted.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach this afternoon,
He was arrested after his Porsche was in a crash with a $140,000 Ferrari driven by Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr., 45, of Huntington Beach, officials said.


Lewis, one of the founders of a company called TapouT, a multimillion-dollar mixed martial arts enterprise, lost control of his red sports car, ran over a curb and crashed into a cement light pole with such force that the Ferrari was split in two. Lewis was killed instantly.
Lacy Lynn White, 23, a passenger in the Ferrari, was ejected from the car and landed nearby, partially on a sidewalk and partially on a dirt embankment. She suffered a laceration to her temple, a fractured elbow and several lacerations and abrasions.
Kirby, who is being held in custody in lieu of $2 million bail, was also charged this morning with a felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury for White’s injuries, plus sentencing enhancements of fleeing the scene and causing serious injuries to multiple victims
He registered a 0.13 blood alcohol level two hours after the fatal crash, said Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez, who authorized the filing of charges this morning. The legal limit in California is 0.08.
Kirby has two convictions for driving under the influence, in 2001 in Orange County and in 1985 in Nevada, Baez said.
The investigation into the 1 a.m. crash is continuing.
Kirby could be charged later with second-degree murder under the legal theory that he knew – because of his drunk-driving convictions – that his driving was dangerous, but continued to drive anyway.
Prosecutors could also later add a street-racing enhancement to the charges if the investigation reveals that the two drivers were racing as they sped northbound on Jamboree Road near Bison Avenue.
Baez said that skid marks at the scene and other evidence indicate that both drivers were traveling at high speeds when the initial contact took place.
“It appears that Mr. Kirby lost control of his Porsche and collided into the Ferrari, causing Mr. Lewis to also lose control and crash into the pole,” Baez said. “If the first contact hadn’t happened, the Ferrari would not have lost control.

 

Maybe it was a lucky hit in a good spot for the car, with these 360s and 430s splitting in half I wouldn't bet my life on it and those that drive these cars should be aware and adjust their driving, it would be in the back of my mind pushing the car the consequences if something happens on the track or the middle of the desert on empty roads.

 

So, there it is. The Porsche driver was drunk as a skunk, hit the Ferrari --pushing it into a solid concrete barrier, killed one while gravely injuring another, and then drove off leaving the scene of the accident so the possible survivors could die on the road.

Sorry, I have no simpathy for this idiot. If there's a hanging judge out there, I just hope he gets this case.

It's just a pity that the earlier convictions couldn't have removed him from the road. What a needless tragedy.

 

My sentiments exactly. This was is 3rd time; and someone died over it. Not right. This guy needs to be someones 'beeatch' in the big house.

 

I think its safe to say he wont be having constipation for quite some time....

 

"A Costa Mesa man with two drunken-driving convictions"

Isn't two DUI's enough to realize the guy has a substance problem and shouldn't be driving ?
Don't sue Ferrari. Sue the Judge that allowed him do continue to drive!!!!!

Condolences to the family.

Regards,

Stew

 

I'm with Stew, this guy seems habitual, and a third time should be revocation of driving priviledges, permanently, and with a street racing fatality involved, a life sentence should be slapped on him. If a kid in a Honduh, gets in a street racing fatality just (not including dui), he is gone. It's good to be rich and white!

 

Thoughts and prayers to the family........

"concrete pole" is one of your answers, as they are monolithic and direct buried. A shame ..an aluminum pole might have sheared and saved some damage.......concrete ones are more like striking a big tree, they won't move.....

Wow, sounds like her injuries are nothing short of a miracle.....

 

i know it happened last week..but i just found this thread..prayers to Mask and all his loved ones..very devistating..

 

Tell that to Bernie Madoff

Regards,

Stew

 

if bernie just killed someone he would have been given a chance at parole...

 

His case is very likely being scrutinized by the DA for a murder charge now. If someone is injured, it's felony DUI. If someone is killed, it's manslaughter. If there's a history of DUI + speeding violations (as is now being widely reported), the driver can be charged with murder. It's the DA's discretion though and would probably be a means of leveraging a higher plea deal to avoid trial.

I'd guess his defense window would likely be to paint the victim as the culprit. However, if there were drugs involved or if it can be shown conclusively that his losing control actually caused the fatality (striking the Ferrari, regardless of its role), he'll have virtually no wiggle room. Whatever the outcome, I think this man is virtually guaranteed of going to a Cal state prison for a number of years and will likely lose whatever assets he has.

Be safe.

 

Has anyone heard the disposition of this case? have additional charges been filed or is the guy out doing community service?

 

It'll take awhile to come to trial. More than a year if he waived his right to a speedy trial. Given the high profile and media reporting, the OC DA will be putting resources against this, effectively throwing the book at him.

Just noticed that some were speculating that Ferrari would get sued: Not a chance in h**l. Suing a large car company because a vehicle broke in half after hitting a concrete pole at over 100 mph is a spectacular way to go bankrupt.

 

Plus you don't know where the jaws of life were used...

 

Porsche were sued over the Carrera GT crash and had to pay up. There have been plenty of incidents of F fireballs etc., that another unstable/oversteering 360 might catch a little notice. Just saying.

 

The case is very different: The claim (regardless of validity) was that the specific car's handling was defective (incurring more oversteer than normal GTs) yet did not have stability control systems to control its 600+ hp that other cars do. The big payout was California Speedway's insurers (b/c they placed a concrete barrier IN the run-off area next to a straight). Porsche's contribution was deemed small and their exposure was not high.

In the case of this crash, the car split after hitting a pole at over 100 mph. That result was not at all unusual and not unexpected for ANY car. Sadly, it happens all the time. The fact that other 360's and 430's have split is attributable to numbskull drivers crashing at triple digit speeds more often than typical drivers do.

 

I just realized that crash was four years ago yesterday. Prayers for the families and friends of those involved.

 

According to this:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/kirby-crash-lewis-2422864-driving-ferrari

The next step of the process is the pretrial hearing on June 12, so we may hear more in a few days.

Interesting that he hasn't been able to make bail.

 

It's not the splitting in two it's that the car is squirrely and wants to oversteer. If you've ever driven one you'd know what I mean. The car's handling is IMO a flaw similar to the tricky handling of a Carrera GT. Both require some serious driving skill when approaching the limits. The Porsche guy was able to keep his on the road and the CS was a lost cause once it began to lose control.

 

The porsche driver did not keep his car on the road. If you go back and look at the photos I took of the scene you will see that he first lost control skidded into the path of the Ferrari , hitting him, the bouncing literally off of the kerb.... Then he spun several more times back across the 3 lanes of road and hit the other kerb.... The Ferrari driver never lost control His car was hit from behind and spun backwards. He hit the pol on the the drivers side in a backwards spin....(NOT Over Steer)

The following photos are the skid marks from the Porsche...
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These are the tracks from The CS.. Notice how the CS has a long straight sideways skid.. Then you see the path it takes as it leaves the road and sheers off the pool and takes out the tree...
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