81
San Mateo County firefighters and California Highway Patrol personnel investigated the scene of a May 2013 limousine fire that killed five passengers on the westbound side of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge in Foster City, Calif. (Jane Tyska/Oakland Tribune via AP)
• Newlywed killed in limo fire moved to Calif. from Hawaii
SAN FRANCISCO » A specialty car manufacturer is recalling the limousine model involved in a 2013 fire that killed five nurses on a San Francisco Bay Area bridge.
Accubuilt is recalling about 1,000 limousines manufactured between Jan. 2, 1998, and July 21, 2005, because a rubbing driveshaft may increase the risk of fire. It’s unclear if the recall is a result of the California fire in a 1999 Lincoln Town Car limo.
A representative of the Lima, Ohio-based company did not return a call for comment Wednesday.
The California Highway Patrol said the blaze broke out on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge because of a catastrophic failure of the rear suspension system. Authorities said the air suspension failure allowed the spinning driveshaft to contact the floor pan, causing friction that ignited carpets and set the limo on fire. No charges were filed.
The fire occurred while a nurse, Neriza Fojas, was celebrating her recent wedding with a group of friends. She was among the five killed. Four other friends inside the limo and the limo driver survived.
The state Public Utilities Commission had authorized the vehicle to carry eight or fewer passengers, but it had nine on the night of the fire. The commission fined the limo operator $1,500 for having more passengers than allowed.
Aerial video of the aftermath showed the fire scorched parts of the rear of the limousine. The car’s taillights and bumper were gone, and it appeared to be resting on its rims. The remainder of the vehicle didn’t appear to be damaged.
Sounds like the driver kept on driving even after hearing a strange sound under the vehicle? I pull over to the side of the road as soon as I hear a strange sound from my vehicle.
If I remember correctly, the other problem was that that back doors to the limo could not be opened, forcing the victims to try and crawl through to the front seat. I can’t imagine how horrifying it must have been.
Hope no one ever perishes like this again. Safety first.