With Few Details Coming from Officials, Some Witnesses Doubt Seizure Explanation in Sunday Crashes, Others Urge Patience

As authorities work to determine what may have caused a Berkeley man to hit  while driving his black BMW on Sunday, some members of the public have expressed frustration with the seemingly minor penalties suffered by the driver thus far.

The Berkeley Police Department arrested Shahram Farshchi, 56, of Berkeley, but released him Sunday with a citation after authorities said he rear-ended a Honda near Colusa Avenue, causing no injuries.

The Honda was one of numerous parked and moving vehicles in Berkeley and Albany that police say Farshchi struck as he headed west on Solano just before noon on Feb. 20.

The could recommend criminal charges in connection with several additional crashes in Albany that sent three drivers to the hospital for care.

There has been no word yet on what the department plans to do, but officials said the multiple wrecks and injuries could take time to investigate fully.

Farshchi said Sunday he  while driving, and planned to have a medical examination Monday.

No information was available Monday about the condition of a man and woman who were taken by ambulance Sunday for medical treatment after the collisions. 

Officials said Sunday that both drivers were alert and talking after the accidents.

Several people who saw the crashes said they had reason to doubt Farshchi's medical explanation.

"I heard the driver of the BMW tell the officers at the scene, right after the accident, that: 'someone ran a stop sign, and I swerved,'" wrote  in a comment on Albany Patch. "Obviously, he thought twice about that story and changed his tune later."

Tierney took several photographs of the accident scene, as well as the video that is featured with today's story.

One of the cars police say Farshchi hit was crumpled nearly in half; Albany firefighters used a Holmatro Jaws-of-Life tool to extract the driver.

"If you look at that Honda in the picture, you know he had to be going pretty fast," Tierney continued. "The whole rear of the car was compressed into the back seat. It’s a miracle the woman was left alive. Her spare tire from the trunk was in [the] middle console between the two front seats!"

Witnesses said Farshchi did not appear to brake as he headed west on Solano.

"It was like slow motion as he drove by with his engine reving as he accelerated,"wrote , also in a comment on Albany Patch. "He was not slowing down at all, no brakelights no screetching tires."

 said she was in her Audi on Solano when Farshchi's BMW struck her from behind. She shared a detailed description of the crash Monday on Albany Patch.

"Before the BMW collided with the silver Honda, it originally hit my blue Audi with the full force of its gathering speed---maybe 65 mph," she wrote. "I was driving at about 20 mph a few yards in front of the Honda, which was backing out. I noted the black car which had hit me like a ton of bricks as I watched and heard him him hit the silver car after me, just as I began my pinball spin back and forth across the street, hitting the curb and several parked cars and wondering if I'd come out of this alive, finally coming to a stop facing uphill--in the opposite direction from which I started." 

McLester wrote that she spent the day in the emergency room "completely battered up," and that her car was totaled in the collision, "though I was able to walk away from the accident. What I remember is a continued revving of the engine, even after I'd been hit."

Some Albany Patch readers have noted that the true cause of the wreck will take time to be revealed.

"Any medical diagnosis will be made by trained medical personnel after careful evaluation," wrote . "Any trial will occur in a court of law not on Patch, as stated. It is not necessary for Patch readers to serve as physician, judge and jury."

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a call at 510-459-8325 or shoot her an e-mail at emilier@patch.com.

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