Both police and Norway’s national road authority are giving “high priority” to their investigation of what caused a car to suddenly accelerate, break through a low brick wall and guard rail on the fourth floor of a parking garage west of Oslo and plunge to the ground below. The driver of the car, a man in his 60s, was killed in the spectacular crash last week.
Police are investigating whether the incident was intentional and part of a suicide, caused by an error made by the driver, or a technical malfunction of the car itself, a Volvo XC40 Recharge produced between September 2020 and August 2021. Newspaper Aftenposten reported that they view suicide as the least likely reason for the crash but were awaiting results of an autopsy.
State broadcaster NRK reported Monday that the car itself had been subject to a recall in 2022 because of what police call an “error” that could make the car begin to accelerate without its driver stepping on the pedal. Prosecutor Kathrine Eilertsen told NRK that the car involved in the fatal crash in Sandvika was inspected and modified in line with the recall, which involved more than 5,000 Volvo XC40s. “We can’t say any more until we get results of the technical inspection from Statens vegvesen (the state road authority),” Eilertsen said.
Erik Trosby, communications chief for Volvo in Norway, confirmed that the car had been at one of its repair facilities, inspected and modified in accordance with the recall. He said no flaws were detected on the vehicle.
The accident, which attracted broad media coverage in Norway, has led to reports of two other incidents involving rapid and uncontrolled acceleration of a Volvo XC40. A woman in Drammen lost control of her car, while another motorist crashed into a concrete block inside a garage in Kolbotn, south of Oslo. Neither vehicle was subject to the recall two years ago but are now being examined.
NewsinEnglish.no staff