Man jailed after crashing into Nev. casino, killing 2; police don’t rule out car malfunction

70-year-old jailed after crashing into Nev. casino

LAS VEGAS — A 70-year-old Washington state man was in jail Thursday after his speeding vehicle crashed into a Nevada casino, killing two people and injuring at least seven others.

Walter McGie of Kelso, Wash., told police he fainted before his 2007 Pontiac Vibe crashed into the Edgewater Hotel & Casino on Wednesday morning. He suffered minor injuries, and police said he would be charged with felony reckless driving.

But investigators didn’t immediately dismiss the chance that a mechanical malfunction sent the car — a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors Co. — hurtling at 60 mph through a red light, across Casino Drive and down a 150-foot horseshoe-shaped driveway into the front doors of the 26-story hotel about 9:30 a.m.

“A lot of things can’t be ruled out,” Las Vegas police Officer Jacinto Rivera said. “They’re going to look at whether mechanical was a factor. He’s claiming he fainted.”

The 2007 model involved in the crash was not part of two Toyota recalls that recently affected millions of cars in the United States because of a risk of unintended acceleration.

McGie is being held in the resort town of Laughlin, about 100 miles south of Las Vegas.

A rescuer who arrived about 10 minutes after the wreck said the 2,700-pound car crashed through glass doors and came to rest perhaps 35 feet inside the building — between the hotel registration desk and a casino cashier cage.

“Slot machines were just everywhere, just wiped out, tumbled and tossed,” said Bill Kinsey, fire division chief in Bullhead City, Ariz., across the river from Laughlin.

One of the people killed was wedged beneath the vehicle and slot machines, Kinsey said. Another was near the rear of the vehicle.

Kinsey said he believed casino security cameras captured the entire episode. Rivera said police would impound casino security videotapes as evidence.

“It’s going to be instrumental in determining what happened out here,” the police spokesman said.

Kinsey said vehicle air bags deployed, and the driver received only minor injuries.

Police identified the driver as Walter McGie of Kelso, Wash. None of the victims were identified.

Authorities said McGie was jailed on two counts of felony reckless driving causing death.

There was no evidence the driver applied the brakes before the crash, Rivera said.

Officer Barbara Morgan said police at the scene reported that alcohol or drugs did not appear to be factors in the crash.

Investigators will have to check whether the 2007 Vibe accelerated out of control. Last month, 2009 and 2010 Vibe models were recalled because of a risk of a floor mat trapping the gas pedal, causing unintended acceleration.

General Motors spokesman Tom Wilkinson said Wednesday the Vibe underwent significant design differences between the 2008 and 2009 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not have any defects or recalls for the 2007 Vibe listed in its database.

One injured person was admitted to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City, where three were treated and released. Two were flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

Police and firefighters said at least two other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

__

Associated Press Writer Oskar Garcia in Las Vegas contributed to this report.