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Coroner slams Nimil after fatal accident

15th December 2005
Page 6
Page 6, 15th December 2005 — Coroner slams Nimil after fatal accident
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iVercedes-Benz has come under fire for being "slow off the mark" in responding to a potentially deadly braking fault in the Sprinter van.

LOUTH, LINCOLNSHIRE District Coroner Stuart Fisher has criticised Mercedes-Benz for its slow reaction in alerting Sprinter owners to a possible safety defect.

This followed an inquest into the deaths of two motorcyclists who were hit by a Sprinter after it had spun out of control.The load-sensing valve malfunctioned, causing the rear wheels to lock when the brakes were applied.

Fisher said:"M-B should urgently review the load-sensing valve. Many thousands of people are potentially in danger until M-B brings it to their attention.The negligence is not sufficient for unlawful killing therefore I have to record verdicts of accidental death. I'm satisfied the loss of control was due to the load-sensing valve being defective."

He accused the German manufacturer of being "slow off the mark" after fatal collisions in Leicestershire, Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire.

He asked M-B CV aftersales technical manager Giovanni Fischer to confirm that action would be taken. Fischer said: "I personally accept that a safety defect potentially exists. So far we've taken no steps to arrest the problem of faulty valves."

Coroner Fisher asked: "As a responsible manufac turer of probably the best quality vehicles in the world, would you want to protect the people in them?" M-B's Fischer promised to recommend they are checked in future: "We shall discuss it with our parent company in Germany, explain what we have here and question what measures should be taken. We shall start the ball rolling in days."

A Mercedes spokesman says: "We take the comments made by the Louth District Coroner at the inquest very seriously. The braking systems on Mercedes-Benz vans are industry-leading.

"This is the only incident we're aware of where this component allegedly led to an accident. We're currently reviewing the full circumstances of this incident. We will carefully consider the investigation results and take appropriate action if required."


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