Since this thread got pretty morbid, it may not be so off-track to ask you about Mercedes hearses. I saw a picture of MB hearses in a procession in the UK. They had “glass-house” tops which permitted viewing the coffins. In America hearses are based on the Cadillac DTS or Lincoln Town Car, which will soon be defunct. Maybe this will be a new market for Mercedes. Hmm, a Lexus would also be a nice ride to the cemetery.

According to the official police report, a 42 year old Brazilian test driver lost control of his car on the three lane straightaway of Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien site.

No mention of a blind corner, and it actually specifies a straightaway. I’ll stand by my assertion that the 2nd driver wasn’t paying close enough attention, particularly given the severity of the second crash.

Student was killed as the rear of the car collapsed back toward the front, driving the rr tire into the student and crushing him (Old GM’s spin here was: “… such a crash profile was never anticipated, as the impact occurred on the only part of the car unable to withstand such force …”.

Point here is, despite driver’s training culminating in a special license for access to the track, the driver-engineer had violated training and safety protocols … could a similar lapse in judgement or concentration, or simply a violaton or rules (or “menschenverstand”) be at work here??

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/14/arizona.grand.canyon.death/index.html

I took my msf course with full armor in 110F heat index.

My chest & hands have been saved twice by body armor. Won’t ride without it.

50merc: Well, being German, that’s what they usually do. The police report doesn’t reveal more than what was written in the post.

As a motorcyclist who was nearly taken out by an inattentive driver, I appreciate that people are, at least, experimenting with airbags for bikes and riders. It is a pain, but I put on body armor every time I get on my bike. There is nothing wrong with trying to limit the danger of doing something that is inherently risky. What might be a fender-bender to a couple of cagers can mean death to a motorcyclist.

The cautionary tale here is the deadly reality of secondary collisions. Many times it isn’t the first problem which gets you, but the second. If you have an accident or a near miss, the very first thought should be if it is possible someone else is going to have the same problem and land on top of you.

I was in high school and a passenger when the car I was in spun out of control on ice. The driver and I got out of the car to asses the situation. Luckily I caught sight of another car sliding towards us out of my periphery vision and just barely managed to scamper out of the way (on the ice!) before the second vehicle slid into the first. The spot where I had been standing was filled with 1970s big Detroit iron only seconds after I had gotten out of the way.

Always keep your wits about you and your eyes scanning, especially right after you think you have just survived a close call.

If this had happened in the US, the skies would be darkened by the helicopters bringing in personal-injury-lawsuit lawyers, eager to sue VW.

Anyone looking for a job? I beleive theres an opening or two in Wolfsburg someone willing to relocate!

It’s not the death part that scares me, it’s the lifetime spent as a traumatically brain injured vegetable that gives me pause.

Thanks, Lokkii – that’s on the money. In a time when we’re even putting airbags on motorcycles, it’s nice to hear someone point out that there are worse ways to die than doing something you like to do…

Or, if you prefer, better to die during a high-speed crash on a race-track than to die at your desk late one night, your body bathed in the glow of an Excel spreadsheet for a presentation due at 8 a.m. the next morning.

RIP,

as Pista said, it’s not one of the coolest jobs for nothing…

Like for example, there can’t be 2 drivers testing at the same time.

Heck, if 2 drivers already died in similar conditions…