Facebook video screengrab
2006 Bugatti Veyron crashes on video, posted to Facebook
Facebook video of a 2006 Bugatti Veyron crash shows the car making a wall of water as it hits a Texas lagoon. No one was injured in the crash.
By Andrew Heining | 11.13.09
It’s one of the rarest cars on the road, and Galveston, Tex. medical school student Joe Garza saw it crash on his way to get groceries.
He and a friend were driving off of Galveston Island when they pulled up alongside the $2 million French supercar, believed to be one of just 15 in the US. When they pulled up to the sporty two-seater, Garza whipped out his camera and started shooting. That’s when the unthinkable happened.
“We saw the car and were just like ‘wow,’ so I started recording it and sure enough, after that, he just veered off,” Garza told the Monitor in a phone interview Friday.
The car, which Garza said was going the speed limit, created a wall of water as it went from the frontage road to the saltwater lagoon, ending up submerged in three feet of water.
“My friend had to slow down in order to stick with him on the frontage, so he was probably going about 40 miles an hour,” Garza said.
Garza’s friend called 911, and the boys tried to turn around, but the highway’s exits are spaced so far apart that by the time they got back to where the crash happened, police and ambulances were on the scene.
The ultra-rare 2006 Bugatti Veyron EB had been sold to Andy Lee House just last month by a Jonesboro, Ark., dealer, and had just 500 miles on the odometer from the previous owner, according to the Houston Chronicle.
House reportedly told La Marque, Texas, police that he lost control of his car when he dropped his cellphone and, upon sitting back up, was distracted by a low-flying pelican, which caused him to jerk the wheel to avoid it. Video of the car being towed from a saltwater lagoon caused an Internet sensation.
New video
On Thursday night, unaware that he’d captured footage that would gain international attention, Garza posted a 24-second video (since made private) of the Bugatti crashing spectacularly into the water.
The video (warning: contains harsh language) shows Garza and his friend driving alongside the Bugatti, and wondering aloud what kind of car it is.
The La Marque police department has not responded to requests for comment.
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See also:
Video: Bugatti Veyron for sale, slightly damp
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3. Daniel J | 11.14.09
Just as I thought. There was NO pelican. He just wrecked it by leaning down to get his phone and had to blame SOMEONE else, but as he was alone he would blame SOMETHING!
4. Klint | 11.14.09
The guy who crashed this has done alot to help kids in Lufkin, TX and shows off his collection of exotics to kids and schools all the time so one mishap should define him, but looks like it might
5. JohnTerez | 11.15.09
My list: , plumbing repairs on pedestal sinks, pergo floor care, small water fountains,
7. Chris Gaylord (Innovation editor) | 11.16.09
@Jimbo, Bugatti is owned by Volkswagen Group, a German company. But the subsidiary is based in Alsace, France. And the Veyron in particular is made in France.
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1. Nhat | 11.14.09
Where’s the pelican?