Originally Posted by twobikes

If a tie rod were to be broken, one front wheel is free to turn any angle it chooses. The vehicle is not likely to go in any kind of straight or controlled direction. It only gets worse when you apply braking. If the rear brakes could be applied without the front brakes, that might be somewhat helpful.

The woman was 100 feet from the intersection when she lost control. The speed limit on the road approaching the intersection where the incident happened is reported to be 45 mph. That means a vehicle at that speed travels almost 4,000 feet in one minute, or 66 feet in one second. Normal reaction time for getting your foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal is around a second and a half. Yes, since the traffic light was red, the driver should have been slowing her vehicle already. But, if you did lose control at 45 mph 100 feet before an intersection, how far ahead of the intersection would you be able to apply the brakes?

I think it is entirely likely the driver was distracted and, therefore, negligent, but no one appointed me judge in this case. Be patient until all of the facts are known. It could turn out entirely different from what you think based on what you know now.