Elderly woman dies after crashing new sports car (Dodge Challenger)

tcpalm ^ | 10-14-08

[Responsibility2nd]

POMPANO BEACH — Authorities say a 90-year-old woman was killed when she lost control of her new sports car and slammed into a pole.

State motor vehicle records show that Maria Brunetti, of Pompano Beach, got the 2009 Dodge Challenger Friday on her birthday. A Broward Sheriff's spokesman says the car's odometer only showed 151 miles.

Detectives believe that Brunetti lost control Sunday when she accelerated instead of braking while trying to make a turn. The car hit a concrete pole and caught fire with Brunetti and her son, 47-year-old Peter Brunetti, trapped inside.

Witnesses pulled the them from the burning car, and fire-rescue took them to the hospital. The woman was pronounced dead a short time later, and her son was in serious condition.

[Responsibility2nd]

A real shame.

I wonder if it was an SRT 10?

[cyclotic]

Wow, talk about not fitting the buyer profile.

[pennboricua]

What ever it was she went fast.

[DemonDeac]

90 year old lady+Hemi=Yikes.

[RobRoy]

Was she from Pasadena?

Had to be the first!

[thefactor]

whoever bought that for her sure feels bad right now. probably the son?

[SJSAMPLE]

$40,000 car.
$500,000 life insurance.

Just sayin’.

[Future Snake Eater]

"The Dodge Challenger R/T features the new-generation 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 engine with a five-speed automatic transmission that produces an estimated 370 horsepower (276 kW) and 398 lb.-ft. of torque (540 N•m). For 2009, the HEMI engine is upgraded to get an estimated five percent improvement in fuel economy as well as an increase of 30 horsepower (9 percent) and 8 lb.-ft. improved torque (2 percent) over a greater range of engine speeds. The automatic transmission features fuel-saving multi-displacement (MDS) technology which increases fuel economy by as much as 20 percent depending on driving conditions without sacrificing vehicle performance. The Dodge Challenger R/T also offers a precision-shift six-speed manual transmission — the first for a new-generation HEMI-powered car — that produces 375 horsepower (280 kW) and 404 lb.-ft. of torque (548 N•m) when running on premium fuel. The Dodge Challenger R/T can go from zero to 60 mph in less than six seconds."

[cmsgop]

Oh man..........

[Larry Lucido]

Shoulda got a Cadillac.

Course, even those can have mishaps in Alligator Alley.

[hinckley buzzard]

Detectives believe that Brunetti lost control Sunday when she accelerated instead of braking ...

It is a shame, but this is a classic "senior moment" that is not all that rare and all too often with tragic results.

[Travis T. OJustice]

Remind all the old farts you love THE BRAKE IS ON THE LEFT.

[BobbyT]

Charger/Challenger/300C have the SRT-8 option (V8 “Hemi”).

The SRT-10 would be a Viper (or the Ram with the Viper V10).

[Pelagius of Asturias]

It was probably like hitting a bulldozer blade head on.

[Travis T. OJustice]

Giving a granny a car with a souped up school bus engine isn’t a great idea.

[randomhero97]

If you’re going to go, that’s a hell of a way to go. Too bad she didn’t top it out first.

[refermech]

That’s the first pic I have seen of the new car. Very nice but I don’t think it will hang with my 408 Duster. 375 HP 500ft lbs of torque. 22MPG with a chevy overdrive trany. 71 Dusters are real pieces of crap compared to this Challenger though. I’m jealous!!

[Adams]

“I wonder if it was an SRT 10?”

Only available in SRT8, RT, and SE.

[thefactor]

i’m sure she had her blinker on at the time of the crash.

[Tijeras_Slim]

POMPANO BEACH

I would have thought Pasadena.