W221 Fatal Accident, Airbags Didnt Deploy

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On November 12, 2011, 27 years old Nirmal Saraf, travelling in Mercedes S-class lost his life in an unfortunate road accident in Jaipur. He was on way to Agra when he rammed into a kiosk to avoid collision with a truck. The family, friends’ and the media are outraged against Mercedes as the very air bag which was meant for Nirmal ‘s safety, failed to open and save him from severe injuries. Nirmal who was married an year ago, was soon to become a father. Mercedes has not issued any statement so far and chooses to stay mum till the investigation.

This article is being posted to bring forth this unfortunate incident.

Full story: Mercedes Benz Technical Failure causes Death | Punjabi Portal Articles

Forum discussion about the accident and turn of events started by the deceased mans brother in law: Mercedes S-Class Accident : Owner dead, Airbag doesn't activate and Court orders FIR - Team-BHP


Very sad but no airbags would have saved this mans life due to the amount of damage, but should they have gone off?
 
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Very sad but no airbags would have saved this mans life due to the amount of damage, but should they have gone off?

Looking at that picture the frontal area of the car (bumper, bonnet etc) don't appear to have sustained much of an impact (indeed the bonnet and wing appear intact). Looks more like the top of the car got sliced off.

Reading the BHP forum it would suggest that the car turned over (which explains the damage) however I don't believe the photo above was taken at the scene of the accident so hard to be sure.

So I wouldn't expect the airbags to go off and as stated, even if they had, would they have helped?

Were all the occupants wearing seatbelts?
 
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The main damage was high up, the front except for a little damage, is intact. I wonder did he travel under something...and therefore the airbags would not have been any use anyway. The roof is peeled back...but that could have been to remove him.
 
I cant see that an airbag would have left him anything other than dead. With greatest respect for all involved I think they maybe should be looking at the truck driver for blame.
 
This reminds me of the Diana crash where some of the papers claimed it was the S-Class she was in didnt protect her enough.

Airbags only go off when they need too. Looking at that photo there is virtually no frontal damage to the chassis.
 
As above, doesn't look like a frontal impact at all. Could have been a side impact on the right of the car (which side was the driver on?), but again an airbag wouldn't have made much difference.
 
The airbags are triggered by a sudden deceleration, over a certain G-force. If the impact wasn't a straight frontal one, but instead was more the windscreen and pillars hitting something, it's possible that insufficient force was generated to set them off.

Looking at the picture, I can't see how every airbag ever made would have helped.
 
Having seen more photos on the other side...the impact was the driver's A pillar...then his head...nothing could have saved him from his or another's bad driving.
 
As all above, I can see why these might not have gone off. Even my 202 had a lot more frontal damage than that and they never went off either. Looking back on that incident I'm glad too, I walked out of that accident without a scratch and instead would have had a bust face...
 
As above, doesn't look like a frontal impact at all. Could have been a side impact on the right of the car (which side was the driver on?), but again an airbag wouldn't have made much difference.

"about 12 o'clock, he met with an accident. A truck moving parallel to his car, took a sudden turn due which he had to apply sudden brakes. Unfortunately he hit the truck from the driver's side. Due to the collision the rod, ...which holds the windscreen of the car broke and hit Nirmal near the shoulder, which caused him to loose control of the car. The car hit a few kiosks on the roadside. People nearby had to cut the seat belt and somehow managed to get him out of the car and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital. But unfortunately the doctors couldn't save our brother's precious life. Even after such a big collision only one airbag opened of the Mercedes S-class and that too of the passenger's side (left side) where as the car was hit on the driver's side. Mercedes claims that SAFETY is their utmost priority, and that they have provided 8 airbags in their S-class. Then why after such a big collision only one airbag opened and that too of left side where there was no major hit? Is selling the car more important than ensuring the security of it? We do not know what the 'S' in the name S-Class stand for, but its definitely not SAFETY."

For some reason it turns out that driving a car at speed into the back of a lorry (presumably with no underrun bars) is the fault of Mercedes and it's unsafe cars....

Quite how a bag of air would have stopped the roof of the car being ripped off by the back end of the lorry is a mystery.

Expect a law suit...
 
I thought there was a fatalist attitude that prevailed in India, whereby if you die it is your fate and nothing can change that. Not sure what the point of an airbag is in that case, if you are to die on that day your chosen "god" will ensure you do (Obviously by not deploying the bags in this case.)
I've been along these roads and arriving at your destination intact is always a bonus.
 
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I don't think all the airbag's in the world would have helped this chap.
 
I thought there was a fatalist attitude that prevailed in India, whereby if you die it is your fate and nothing can change that. Not sure what the point of an airbag is in that case, if you are to die on that day your chosen "god" will ensure you do (Obviously by not deploying the bags in this case.)
I've been along these roads and arriving at your destination intact is always a bonus.

What the hell are you talking about?!?!
 
As above , the airbags may not have saved him even if they had deployed .

It would be useful to learn why the airbags did not deploy , it may be that if he under-ran the truck and the roof members were severed this may have prevented operation of the airbags .

Whether the photographs show the car in its post crash state , or after FRS had cut away the roof to free the casualty ( I do not think the latter is the case or the doors would most likely have been removed ) is unclear .

Whatever happened , the outcome was tragic and I extend my sympathies to the family .
 
From the write-up it appears bystanders removed the driver from the car, causing lord knows what additional injury?

"People nearby had to cut the seat belt and somehow managed to get him out of the car and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital."
 
From the write-up it appears bystanders removed the driver from the car, causing lord knows what additional injury?

"People nearby had to cut the seat belt and somehow managed to get him out of the car and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital."

I had the same thoughts when I read that . My only thoughts were whether anyone else might have had to be cut out , I think the report did state he was alone in the car though .
 
This reminds me of the Diana crash where some of the papers claimed it was the S-Class she was in didnt protect her enough.

Airbags only go off when they need too. Looking at that photo there is virtually no frontal damage to the chassis.

Despite the fact that the three who died in that crash were not wearing seatbelts , and the one ( front seat ) occupant who was wearing one did survive , there cannot be many cars you could drive at speed into a concrete pillar and survive .

I also remember Volvo being criticised for placing prominent adverts in the days following that crash , stressing how safe their cars were .
 
It would be useful to learn why the airbags did not deploy , it may be that if he under-ran the truck and the roof members were severed this may have prevented operation of the airbags .
The airbag sensor is usually located in the dash-area and will have recorded all the various speeds and forces acting upon it for later analysis.

Airbags are cushions designed to reduce the impact of the passenger (we're all passengers in a crash!) colliding with the structure immediately next to them in the direction of travel. I've landed a car on it's roof and removed the front-end with a crash barrier; On neither occasion would an air-bag have improved my survival chances and I simply got out and walked away unharmed.
 
Google fatalism. I don't think hell necessarilly has anything to do with it though.

And what does that have to do with the victim in the accident?!?!
 

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