Pre-Production BMW 8 Series Involved in Deadly Accident [News]

BMW 8 Series prototype deadly accident
[Photo: Bayerischer Rundfunk 2018, via BR24.de]

A 37-year-old test driver rolled a prototype BMW 8 Series and killed a 53-year-old passenger

The official reveal for the highly anticipated BMW 8 Series is happening later this week, but is shrouded by tragedy as this prototype was involved in a fatal accident. German media outlet BR24 and Motor1 reported the accident that occurred over the weekend.

 

On a country road near Landshut in Bavaria, a 37-year-old test driver was taking his girlfriends’ mother for a ride when he went lost control. After leaving the road, the car hit a series of trees before coming to a stop on its side. While the driver was able to escape the wreckage, the passenger wasn’t so fortunate. She was blocked from exiting the car based on how it landed, and she succumbed to severe head trauma as a result of the accident and died at the scene. Ultimately, fire department responders had to use hydraulic scissors to cut the roof off the car.

Since it was such a severe accident, the police’s preliminary reports indicate excessive speed as a main cause. From the picture above, the airbags did deploy, but it wasn’t enough to save both driver and passenger. The exact amount of damage the accident caused to the car was unclear. Naturally, it had to be pretty severe to cost the passenger her life. As with the others reporting on this story, our condolences go out to the passenger’s family.

BMW will still reveal the car on this Friday, June 15th, at the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The car will undoubtedly be a popular attraction during the event, but such a tragedy should serve as a reminder to always drive carefully.

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[Video source: BR.de]