A man who attempted to return his recalled Toyota pickup truck to All Star Toyota on Airline Highway on Saturday crashed into the dealership building when his allegedly faulty accelerator stuck, the Baton Rouge Police Department reported.
The crash caused extensive damage to the truck involved, but no major injuries were reported, said Lt. Todd G. Lee Sr., chief of administrative services for the Police Department.
Mikel Valviva sought to return his truck to the dealership at 9150 Airline Highway, saying he no longer wanted it because of the recall on the accelerator, Lee said.
The dealerships manager, Joe Costanza, offered to repair Valvivas truck and loan him a car in the meantime, Lee said.
Matt McKay, owner of the All Star Automotive Group, said Costanza explained to Valviva on three separate occasions on Saturday that the dealership could not refund his money for the truck.
McKay said the process during the recall requires dealerships to provide a loaner car while the recalled vehicle is repaired.
Valviva refused the offers and tried to leave the dealership, but his gas pedal stuck, Lee said. The truck accelerated forward, striking the building, Lee said.
EMS personnel treated Valviva and his passenger for minor injuries on scene, Lee said.
McKay said a cosmetic column on the building received only minor damage.
Costanza confirmed Valvivas truck is one of the models included in the recall, Lee said.
The investigating officer found no evidence the incident was intentional, Lee said.
He didnt have enough evidence to say that definitively, Lee said.
McKay said he had no comment when asked if he believed the incident was accidental.
This is the first report of an accident caused by a faulty accelerator on a Toyota in the Greater Baton Rouge area, Lee said.
McKay said Valviva bought the truck in March 2009, and he had no previous complaints or issues with the gas pedal.
Attempts by The Advocate to reach Valviva on Saturday afternoon were unsuccessful.
Toyota Motor Co. said Tuesday it was suspending the sale of eight models and recalling more than 2 million cars because the gas pedals could become harder to press, slower to spring back or stuck.
Sean Kane, director of Safety Research and Strategies, a consumer group that conducts research into motor vehicle safety issues, said his firm has identified 2,274 incidents of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles leading to at least 275 crashes and 18 deaths since 1999, the Associated Press reported.
