>>Technical question: Do Chevy Suburbans (or whatever they were driving) have mechanical odometers, or LCD based ones. If electronic, or electronically driven, is it possible or likely for them to be pinned at the moment of impact, and if so, is the pinned position indicative of actual speed?
The use of the term “pinned” to describe the position of the speedometer needle is unfortunate and most likely can be interpreted to mean that the needle was “stuck” at 90mph due to the car’s impact and deformation of the speedometer housing. If, the driver’s foot remained on the gas pedal the entire fall, the speedometer would most likely have been “pegged” or rotated to the fastest position that speedometer’s mechanics would allow as the engine accelerated to its maximum revolutions. The 2003 Yukon’s speedometer goes to 120mph, so the driver’s foot was most likely not frozen with the pedal to the metal.
Those poor kids probably had a rush of questions in their heads on the brief way down.
It wouldn't have to have been 'pedal to the metal'. It would only require keeping one's foot on the gas pedal, pressed part way down.
One thing's for sure, the driver didn't have their foot on the brake.