Michael Hastings' Inferno

[Minstrel]

Because the car was still in forward motion until it met that sudden stop at the tree.. That is what would allow for the brake pedal to continue forward, effectively being "pushed" without a foot on it.

Bear in mind that I'm certain it was a killing, rather than an accident or a suicide - I just don't think the brake lights coming on at the end are a pivotal factor. I believe that was probably simple physics instead.

I'm guessing his right foot was braced on the floorboard for impact, because he had likely already determined that neither the brake nor the accelerator were under his immediate control. it doesn't take complicated installation of a remote control mechanism - all it takes is a hacksaw, a pair of wire cutters, and a few minutes time.

The line of inquiry should probably at this point revolve around the interlinked coverup to find answers of "who", "why", and "what was the extent of the involvement".

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The brake lights did not activate in the sequence your scenario poses - ie: (i) deceleration caused by the front end encountering the tree, (ii) resulting in movement of the brake pedal, and thus, (iii) activation of the brake lights - They activated at or about where/when the car hit the metal utility cage & pvc water pipe.
They were activated in various intensities through four frames, and then returned to running tail lights for one frame, and then, said running lights extinguished and remained so through five more frames of motion/change before the first light of explosion.

Upon impact (with the palm tree), the rear end continued forward and upward until the roof of the cab struck the tree, and the vehicle pivoted and came to rest at an angle 90 degrees (+/-) displaced from the direction it had been moving.

These security cameras generally capture imagery at a rate of 6 to 8 frames per second. I can attest that, if this is the case for this particular camera, those captures are not necessarily evenly spaced throughout the frames of interest. So determining the precise speed at which the Mercedes covered the final 75' (or so) from the metal cage to the tree can only be accurate within a range of possibilities.

What is apparent, though, is that the brake lights (while dimming) were still visible for one frame longer than the headlamps.