I didn't know it could be so profitable to be an incompetent driver.

www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/michelle-lee-awarded-2-6m-after-husband-killed-in-car-park-accident-20141030-3j6e1.html

This guy should have been nominated for a Darwin award. Adjusting his position in a car parking space he drives off the side of the parking station. Apparently the crash barrier is there so that you will park hard up against it. Just to be sure that he was hard against it, this guy kept on driving until he went over the edge.
How would you like to have him for a neighbour? Bull bars both ends of your car would be justified.

Mr milk of human kindness.

That is the world we live in. Commercial and Public buildings need to comply with the Building Code and relevant Aus Standards. In this case it seems that both the parking company and the city were aware of the issue and hadn't addressed it. Typical case of negligence on their behalf. She should have tried for 10x that amount!

So that is how you do your parking...drive at the crash barrier until you hit it. If it collapses then the parking space must just be a bit further along. How much do you get when you sell your cars ?

Accelerator stuck accidents happen all the time. Sometimes, like with toyotas in the US recently, it's even the car's fault.
Sometimes it's just terrible drivers.

Either way, a woman watched her husband die in front of her, not really my choice of laughing matter.

One side of the concrete wheel stop was not bolted to the slab which allowed him to
reverse as far as he did.

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kiteboy dave said..
Accelerator stuck accidents happen all the time. Sometimes, like with toyotas in the US recently, it's even the car's fault.
Sometimes it's just terrible drivers.

Either way, a woman watched her husband die in front of her, not really my choice of laughing matter.

Of course, it was the cars fault. Which makes me wonder why the car's manufacturer was not joined to the action. Because it was the motion of the car that was the problem. And usually when I'm driving my car, I take responsibility for most of its motion.

Now imagine that the man had been set upon and bashed to death in front of her. Victims of crime get about $15 000 plus a bit of counselling.

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Mr Milk said..
So that is how you do your parking...drive at the crash barrier until you hit it. If it collapses then the parking space must just be a bit further along. How much do you get when you sell your cars ?

It sad that we live in a world where someone can sue someone for another's persons stupidity.

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thomas11 said..

Mr Milk said..
So that is how you do your parking...drive at the crash barrier until you hit it. If it collapses then the parking space must just be a bit further along. How much do you get when you sell your cars ?

It sad that we live in a world where someone can sue someone for another's persons stupidity.

Which one's the stupid one here though? The deceased, or the council and parking company that were knowingly negligent? I'd say that the ones that knew their building was unsafe, but continued to run a parking facility and charge people to park there without ensuring that their building was safe are the stupid ones. They are fortunate that it only cost them money...they can raise their fees and make that up in a few months. The life of the poor fella that was simply going out for a feed with his wife is gone forever!

It was only a matter of time before it happened, and they should have known that. It's an industry that I work in, and although I don't condone people suing for 'accidents', if I witnessed my wife 'accidently' run over a wheel stop (that was supposed to be fixed to the floor - but wasn't) and into a barrier (that should take the force of at least a 1 tonne car at significant speed...plus safety factor) that gave way under minimal force and then watched her plummet to her death...I'd be obviously very upset and pretty p!ssed with the owner of the building too!

His wife is more than in her right to sue as I'm sure anyone with a 3rd-grade education could guess. It's not like her husband got a light tap from a tennis racquet and took a dive - HE IS DEAD!

Hopefully it will make the council and building owner take more care with their maintenance and obligations to provide a safe parking environment...I'm sure they can afford to maintain the building if Sydney's parking charges are anything like Melbourne's.