A devastating accident claimed the life of a Maserati driver in Woodlands, Texas, located just north of Houston. The high-speed, single-vehicle collision resulted in an MC20 Cielo veering off the road, colliding with a tree, and tragically splitting in half.
The incident took place at around 5:45 p.m. on February 13, as the Maserati was being driven on Interstate 45 towards Houston. As can be seen in video footage of the aftermath, the impact was so severe that the rear half of the vehicle ended up several feet away from the front half, in the bottom of a grassy median.
Read: Porsche 911 GT3 RS Meets Ditch, Supercar Friends Blame Potholes
Although the exact cause of the MC20 driver losing control remains unclear, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, the police report suggests that the vehicle was traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph (161 km/h). Prior to veering off the road, the Maserati was reportedly in the high occupancy vehicle lane, despite there being only one occupant in the vehicle at the time of the fatal accident.
Reportedly, the driver involved in the accident was a 42-year-old man. Passersby and a trooper managed to extract him from the vehicle following the crash. Despite CPR efforts, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the accident, the driver’s remains were taken to Montgomery County Forensic Center for an autopsy. The freeway was also closed for a short time, as authorities investigated the incident, and the scene was cleaned up.
The Maserati MC20 Cielo is powered by a mid-mounted, twin-turbo, 3.0-liter V6 engine that makes 621 hp (463 kW/630 PS) and 538 lb-ft (730 Nm) of torque. That’s enough to get the car up to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.0 seconds, and all of the power goes to the rear wheels.
We extend our sincerest sympathies to the loved ones left behind by the driver of this MC20.