Arkansas police who had been searching for a stolen Dodge Charger Hellcat encountered a horrifying conclusion to the pursuit when the driver was ejected from the vehicle at approximately 160 miles per hour, a speed at which ejection from a vehicle is virtually always fatal. The incident, which combined the theft of the high-performance muscle car with a high-speed pursuit and a catastrophic crash, illustrates the extreme dangers of the combination of stolen performance vehicles and the decision to flee law enforcement at extreme speeds. The outcome served as a grim reminder of the lethal stakes involved.
Ejection from a vehicle at extreme speeds represents one of the most lethal outcomes possible in a vehicle crash, as the human body cannot survive the forces involved in being thrown from a vehicle traveling at 160 miles per hour. The case illustrates the ultimate consequences of the combination of factors — vehicle theft, extreme speed, and flight from law enforcement — that too often converge in these tragic incidents. The Hellcat’s extraordinary performance capability, which enabled the extreme speed involved, contributed directly to the severity of the outcome, reinforcing the message that performance vehicles in the hands of those fleeing police create scenarios with the most serious possible consequences.