Highway Patrol Taking Steps To Prevent Fires In Ford Crown Victorias

The Missouri Highway Patrol is looking at possible fixes to prevent another deadly fire in Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars such as the one that killed Trooper Michael Newton in May. Newton’s Crown Vic burst into flames after another car rear-ended the patrol car as it was beside the road on Interstate 70 in West Central Missouri. Lieutenant Tim Hull says some of the fixes, such as a proposed fire suppression system, would be picked up by law enforcement agencies. Hull says the Patrol is already using different methods of packing the cars’ trunks to prevent items from puncturing the gas tank causing a fire. He says the patrol is waiting on a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the investigation of the Newton death. Officials give no timetable for when that investigation might be completed.