Tokyo cops seek charges in R37m prang

AFP

Wrecked Ferrari sports cars lie scattered along a stretch of the Chugoku highway in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan after a 14-car pile-up. Eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benz' and a Lamborghini were involved in the accident.

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Police in Japan say they want to bring charges against 10 drivers over a R37 million, multi-car pileup involving eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and three Mercedes-Benz’.

Yamaguchi prefectural police official Shinji Tanaka said the chain-reaction smash in December 2011 occurred when a convoy of expensive sports cars were on a freeway in Shimonoseki in western Japan.

The driver of the lead Ferrari lost control of his luxury car and those behind the wheels of nine supercars and three other vehicles failed to apply their brakes in time.

One car driving on the opposite carriageway was also affected.

The Sports Nippon newspaper said about round ¥380 million (R36.7 million) worth of damage was done.

Police sent the case against a 61-year-old man and nine others to prosecutors last Thursday on suspicion of violating traffic laws.

The final decision on whether to charge the drivers rests with prosecutors.

Tanaka said police alleged that 10 drivers, aged between 38 and 61, were exceeding the speed limit or not paying enough attention to the road.

Television footage at the time showed the badly crumpled cars - most of them red - some with airbags deployed after a smash that left six people hurt but killed no one.

Tanaka said: “It's rare to see a chain-reaction accident like this involving expensive cars.

“Some of the drivers told us they didn't really know the specifications of their cars or just how powerful their acceleration was.”

The drivers were on their way to a supercar event in Hiroshima. - AFP

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