Before I say anything else, I want to say that I’m glad no one was injured...
1. RE: Going into the oncoming traffic lanes -
There was a traffic jam up ahead and he went into the other lane to avoid a definite accident. [It’s in the article]
2. As for the button not pushing in for Neutral - I remember my Mom’s stick shift had a button on the top you had to push in to move it. [1982(?) Mazda] He could’ve been trying to disengage the 4WD as well, but that wasn’t necessarily the only thing that would have a “button”. Also see #3 in this post...
3. Regarding all the posts saying this man is a liar -
I think half this confusion is probably due to the REPORTER not getting the story right in the retelling, frankly. Funny how with all the mistakes we’ve seen time and again from those in the media regarding all sorts of subjects that no-one would consider this...
4. Considering that so many things in a car are computer controlled, it IS possible for anything relying on the computer to get messed up if a circuit shorts out, etc... Don’t know if that’s a factor here, just something worth remembering, IMHO.
I should’ve added a #5 — Pure Panic on his part... that IS a possibility I suppose...
We need Marissa Tormei in that movie "Vinny" as our automotive expert.