Crash victims came from Gui's Lumber family

Niagara Falls Police this morning identified the crash victims from Wednesday at the Rainbow Bridge as Kurt P. and Monica Villani, both 53, of Grand Island.

The Villanis were members of the family that owns Gui’s Lumber and Hardware. The family is well know for philanthropic endeavors as well as being members of the Niagara River Sailing Club which they were integral in helping rebuild following a fire.

The car they were driving was a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur.

Kurt Villani was predeceased by his father Kurt who died in 2022 leading numerous online sources to list the female victim's name incorrectly.

The first local news outlet to publish easily identifiable but unconfirmed details about the couple so far was WGRZ. The reports were not incorrect but were speculative.

According to reporting in the Daily Mail, the NY Times spoke to Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino who said mechanical failure of the Bentley was one consideration.

Restaino also told the paper the couple had planned to attend a Kiss concert in Niagara Falls, Ontario which had been canceled.

The Daily Mail said a Seneca Niagara Casino spokesperson confirmed the couple has stopped briefly at the Casino prior to the crash.

If the car was a 2022 Flying Spur, it was not included in this recent recall which applied to 2018-21 Bentley’s. Here’s the verbiage from that recall as published in Australia:

“Due to inconsistent fitment of the fuse box and the electrical harness the A-post lower trim can protrude into the cabin reducing clearance to the accelerator pedal. If the accelerator pedal is fully pressed whilst driving and is unable to return to its resting position, the vehicle will continue to accelerate, even when the driver's foot is removed from the accelerator pedal.”

Here’s a link to the Daily Mail coverage which summarizes the Times report: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12785815/bentley-crash-canada-…