Woman says Lexus sped up, caused crash

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - An Ohio woman said her Lexus sped through a parking lot, unimpeded when she hit the brakes, and crashed into a light pole in Fort Wayne, Ind., after its accelerator dropped to the floor.

Myrna Cook, 67, of Paulding, was treated for a broken leg and other injuries after Thursday's crash. She said she almost struck cars and pedestrians in the lot of the upscale Jefferson Pointe outdoor shopping mall.

"I just pulled out and then I heard this huge, loud revving sound, and my car instantly -- I mean instantaneously – zoomed forward," Paulding told The Associated Press.

A report by Fort Wayne doesn't indicate how fast her 2007 Lexus ES350 went, and police did not return a call for comment Saturday.

Three spokesmen for Toyota Motor Corp., Lexus's maker, and a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokeswoman did not return calls.

Toyota has watched its reputation for quality crumble with recalls related to acceleration, braking and floor mats that could trap gas pedals. Cook's car was the subject of a floor mat recall.

Toyota's recall of models whose gas pedals had been caught under floor mats affects 5.3 million U.S. vehicles. The Japanese automaker also has recalled eight car and truck models over potentially sticky accelerators, affecting another 2.3 million U.S. vehicles.

The floor mat recall followed a high-speed crash in August involving a 2009 Lexus ES350 that killed California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, his wife, their 13-year-old daughter and his brother-in-law.

Investigators found a wrong-size floor mat trapped the accelerator and caused that crash.
Cook, who said she has followed news coverage of Toyota's troubles, said she put the car in neutral, tried to turn off the ignition and slammed on the brake.

She said none of those measures nor a brake override system a dealer installed about two weeks ago seemed to have any effect.

The impact of the Lexus' air bag deploying left Cook with a fractured a bone in her leg. She said she was relieved that she was able to avoid hitting any people.

"That was my biggest concern because I couldn't see, I was going so fast," Cook said.