1458 Rumor V. News

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The Rumor:

"Didja hear about the chase through town last night?" Much excitement yesterday in the quiet little village.

The story I was told by four people was that a woman was chased by police through the middle of the village at speeds exceeding 80 to 100 mph. That she was driving on three wheels, that one tire was flat. (Now, the only way she could go through the village that fast is if it was after 10 pm, since it's route 9, and before 10 even an ambulance can't get through the one traffic light on one cycle, and there's too much traffic to make left turns. Therefore I assumed without asking that it was late night, and the people telling me said "last night".)

Further, I heard that she'd hit a truck down by the stone church, and the police pulled her from her car, and she fought them like a demon, and then she screamed and fell down and died, right on the spot. There were four guys telling me this, and one of them claimed to have "been there".

The Newspaper Report:

"[...] was driving a 2000 Ford Focus when she became involved in a minor accident with another car in [the village], police said.

Police then received reports of an erratic driver on Route 9. State police said [she] continued driving after the accident in [the village], which caused minor damage. About 6:30 p.m., she struck a 1997 GMC pickup truck near [the stone church]. [She] kept driving until her car stopped running, police said.

She then got out of her car, stumbled to a nearby lawn and collapsed. [An eyewitness] said, "She was trying to keep the car under control." [The witness] said the car was traveling uncontrollably and at a high rate of speed. Police are waiting for autopsy results.

There's a further note that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a recall was issued for 2000 Ford Focus cars regarding speed control cables. "A speed control cable could have a core wire that is long enough to catch on the sleeve at the throttle body end of the cable during wide-open throttle acceleration," the recall's summary said. "A throttle that does not return to idle could result in reduced vehicle control and, potentially, a vehicle crash."

The Lesson:

Interesting differences in the two stories, no? Gossip is always so much more exciting.

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