Car in crash that killed family passed inspection three months earlier

Transportation Ministry Director General Uzi Yitzhaki appointed a special committee to investigate possible negligence that may have led to the tragic car crash that killed eight members of the Attias family early Tuesday.

The committee will look into the vehicle’s maintenance records, inspection records, and the center that tested, and passed, the vehicle just months before the fatal accident. The team is expected to deliver results within a day.

An initial investigation into the cause of the crash, which occured on a winding road near Tiberias, pointed to a brake failure.

The head of the agency that issues driver’s licenses will head the committee.

The appointment may turn out to be a conflict of interest as the agency could be implicated, Maariv reported.

Authorities indicated that Attias’s Mitsubishi had passed a mandatory yearly inspection three months ago, bringing new questions about the incident to the fore.

They also believe the high speed of the car — which was traveling some 80 miles per hour when it veered off the road — was a result of the malfunction of the brakes rather than the fault of the driver.

Authorities believe that Attias lost control of the car near Tiberias after the brakes malfunctioned, and that the wheels caught fire after the car hit the highway’s concrete separation barrier. The car then jumped to the opposite side of the highway, broke through a fence, and raced through a field where it ultimately rolled into a swale and flipped over.

Seven-year-old Rachel Attias is the sole survivor.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in Jerusalem Wednesday evening, sent condolences to the girl, who is set to be released from the hospital Wednesday.

“Rachel, the entire nation is with you. We are all hugging you,” he said.