Now that federal authorities have determined that terrorism was not a factor in the fiery, fatal crash that closed down the Rainbow Bridge border crossing on Wednesday, November 22, the Niagara Falls Police Department is performing its investigation of the traffic accident.
However, those hoping for a quick answer about what happened may be disappointed. The investigation will be a big undertaking for the NFPD, according to Chief John Faso, who said that 3D scanners are being used to create a digital crash scene to help investigators determine the cause of the accident.
“They take it to the scene, it scans the scene and reproduces a 3D image for them to work on of the of the entire scene [sic],” Chief Faso told WGRZ. “This is not something that’s going to happen overnight. It’s a monumental task.”
Read: Bentley That Exploded At Border May Have Suffered Mechanical Problem – Or The Driver Did
While the department seeks to create a picture of what was happening outside the car, finding out what happened inside it will also be crucial, according to automotive analyst, Lauren Fix. She said that finding the Bentley Flying Spur’s Event Data Recorder, will help investigators figure out what went wrong.
The EDR “would tell you if the pedal was put to the floor,” Fix Told WGRZ. “They could actually see that the driver applied the accelerator pedal, not unintentionally, then it could have been [possibly] a medical issue.”
Some have pointed out that certain Flying Spurs built between 2018 and 2021 were recalled in Australia for an issue with the trim that could lead unintended acceleration. However, WGRZ identifies the car as a 2022 model year vehicle. In addition, Bentley told the New York Times that the issue there only applied to right-hand drive models.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until the Niagara Falls Police Department concludes its investigation before we know why this tragic incident occurred.