Investigators: Driver in crash that killed four was going 90 mph
Viktor Shapiro was driving 90 mph — or 137 feet per second — when he passed a stop sign in Clarence and collided with a minivan Sunday, killing him and three other teenagers, Erie County Sheriff's deputies said today.
The primary cause for the crash was the 18-year-old driver's failure to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Strickler and County roads, the chief accident investigator for the Sheriff's Department said.
"Had he stopped, we wouldn't be talking today," Sgt. Scott Joslyn said at a news conference this morning, where details of the accident investigation were revealed. "Was he intentionally ignoring the stop sign? We'll never know."
Rumors that Shapiro was involved in a drag race are untrue, Joslyn said, based on all of the evidence collected, including statements from eyewitnesses.
There were no skid marks to show Shapiro attempted to stop at the intersection. The northbound car was struck on the passenger side by the westbound minivan that was traveling approximately 55 mph on County Road.
Mark Zimmer, the van's driver, was released from Erie County Medical Center a short time after the crash. His wife, Bonnie, this morning was transferred from the intensive-care unit of ECMC to an acute rehab unit for treatment of a fractured hip.
Had the impact occurred a fraction of a second sooner, Joslyn said, Shapiro's 2002 Nissan Sentra would have T-boned the minivan, causing more severe injuries to the Wheatfield couple.
There is no longer a criminal investigation into the crash, because drag racing has been ruled out, Joslyn said. If there had been another individual racing Shapiro, Joslyn explained, authorities could have sought that driver and charged him with leaving the scene of an injury accident.
At this time, investigators have no plans to obtain the cell phone records of Shapiro or the others who perished in the crash: Megan Schnorr, 16; Amanda Slisz, 16; and Mark Brown, 19.
Attending the news conference today was attorney Michael A. Iacono of Siegel, Kelleher & Kahn, who later said the firm has hired its own private accident investigation team to further review the circumstances of the crash. The attorneys are representing the family of Megan Schnorr, one of the others killed, in a possible civil action.
"We will continue to pursue and investigate all the circumstances and evidence surrounding this event in order to properly protect the legal interests of the Schnorr family," Iacono said.
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