Driver died after suffering laughing fit at wheel of his Mercedes

[WDB124066]

Life can be cruel.

Driver died after suffering laughing fit at wheel of his Mercedes, inquest hears

 

[WDB124066]

Pity it isn't contagious....

Car theft? $127k Mercedes vanishes during test drive | Stuff.co.nz

 

[flango]

Life can be cruel.

Driver died after suffering laughing fit at wheel of his Mercedes, inquest hears

Obviously on the phone at the time the MB dealer and reacting to their offer of a PX price

 

[wongl]

Time to ban laughing while driving in line with the ban on using hands free kit while driving?

To prevent laughing, maybe even ban the driver talking with passengers?

 

[BillyW124]

First thing i would have done is put the shifter in neutral and steer. Main issue here is trying to brake from the passenger side..maybe get the knocked out drivers left leg and stomp on it??

horrible situation to be in.

 

[MancMike]

At least he died happy...

 

[brucemillar]

I was unfortunate enough to be in a car where the driver passed out while we were traveling at some speed. As I realised he had passed out we were instantly onto the verge, through a hedge and into a field. We were very lucky that it was a hedge and not a wall and a field and not a river or worse. Basically, when this happens it is very quick with little to time to figure what to do or how to do it. That is before you factor in the fact that you may well be in a car that is unfamiliar to you.

Oh. The driver and myself were both fine if just a bit shaken up. Turned out he had been stung by a wasp - anaphylactic shock.

 

[clk208]

How could he not be wearing his seatbelt?

MBs for years have given a deafening warning buzzer if the driver doesn't have their seatbelt fastened once you're on the move.

 

[brucemillar]

How could he not be wearing his seatbelt?

MBs for years have given a deafening warning buzzer if the driver doesn't have their seatbelt fastened once you're on the move.

I think some people buckle the belt on the seat permanently, then sit on the belt.

 

[S205-FTW]

How could he not be wearing his seatbelt?

These might have been used to bypass the warning.


Seat Belt Buckle Fits MERCEDES-BENZ Logo Safety Clasp Insert Stop Alarm Buzzer | eBay

 

[Gareth]

Madness not wearing a belt, always annoys me when I see people not wearing them.

 

[Bellow]

I'm staggered that someone was driving unbelted. Sorry, but SFA sympathy from me.

 

[E55BOF]

I'm staggered that someone was driving unbelted. Sorry, but SFA sympathy from me.

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Did he really deserve to die for not wearing a seat belt?

 

[Bellow]

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Did he really deserve to die for not wearing a seat belt?

Given the sole purpose of the belt is to lessen injury and that his passenger survived, he was the author of his own misfortune.
With his attitude I'd also be dead but I wasn't as stupid or arrogant as think I was beyond the laws of physics.

 

[E55BOF]

Given the sole purpose of the belt is to lessen injury and that his passenger survived, he was the author of his own misfortune. With his attitude I'd also be dead but I wasn't as stupid or arrogant as think I was beyond the laws of physics.

If everybody who was the author of their own misfortune died for it, the roads would be much less crowded. I doubt he thought he was beyond the laws of physics, just (if any thought at all) that it would never happen to him. If everybody who thought that died as a consequence, the roads would be almost deserted.

 

[Bellow]

I doubt he thought he was beyond the laws of physics, just (if any thought at all) that it would never happen to him.

I was being quite kind to him. To believe it cannot happen is sheer ignorance.
I survived an accident wholly worse than his. Simply, I belted myself in at the start of the journey knowing accidents happen without warning.

 

[E55BOF]

"Sorry, but SFA sympathy from me." I'm glad you weren't being UNkind to him

 

[Monkeylegend]

His brother said because it was automatic he couldn't get it to "break" according to the report. I think it broke well enough when it hit the wall.

You would think a journalist would know the difference between brake and break.

 

[markjay]

I estimate that a massive proportion of deaths can be describes as the deceased perons being the 'authors of their own misfortune'.

Obese people dying of heart disease or high blood pressure? Drinkers dying of liver damage? Smokers dying of lung or throat cancer? Anyone dying while speeding? Or while drink driving? Extreme sport participants dying in accidents? Virtually any cyclist who dies on the road? And in a different category, fireman, police officers, and soldiers?

I think that expecting everyone to be perfect is a bit harsh, if not Puritan.

Certainly there is such a thing as personal responsibility. But I don't see sympathy as binary - 'yes or no' - but more of a sliding scale.

 

[Bellow]

Puritanical? The laws of the land mandate the wearing of seatbelts and have done for the best part of 35 years. If the reason for that escapes a person then there is something wrong deep inside their head.

If this had been a about a motorcyclist not wearing a helmet...