Family of car salesman killed in 90 mph test drive gets $13M

Car salesman Roger Czapski, 22, sat in the passenger seat as his client drove a BMW 530i over 90 mph in a 45 mph zone. Defense lawyers say the salesman encouraged the driver -- he survived -- to speed, but Czapski's family will still get $13.7 million. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Comments

[Navy Chief]

OK, if the salesman didn't want him going that fast, yank on the hand brake. It may not stop the car, but it ought to slow it sown some (at least until the shoes or pads wear out :-) ).

[MONKEY JERKm]

HEY IF THE SALESMAN ENCOURAGED THE DRIVER HE DID NOT DESERVE ANYTHING.

[Sigh]

"My life was done when he died. It will never be the same," he said. "But, cha-ching!" he added, pumping his right arm.

So, why the lawsuit, what end does it serve? It won't bring his son back. It won't stop that kid from speeding again. It more than pays for his funeral. Its not like association of test drive takers will now issue a warning to drive responsibly.

This is what life insurance is for.

I also wonder why the driver wasn't cited for something more than just speeding. Reckless endagerment (ironic, I suppose), vehicular homicide, etc.

Well, maybe this parent will use the money to set up a scholarship program or something. I am guessing that the driver's insurance won't cover most of this, so good luck on collecting the rest, though.

[Sheila]

The survivors are not exactly disinterested witnesses. Their testimony could be an attempt to exonerate their friend, the driver. NavyChief, is it possible for someone in the passenger seat to reach across the driver and grab the hand brake without having the arms of an orangutan?

[troschne]

Yeah, Sheila, it is--the emergency brake is located between the two front seats...

[twerp]

LoL!! It was a crash test--part of the experience is all.

[steveO]

I think it is important to test the alleged 5-Star test ratings on vehicles for myself. Mr. Czapski has saved me the trouble with this vehicle, which obviously has failed.

[RockyMtnMac]

Sigh, I was wondering the same thing. Speeding? All the guy gets is a speeding ticket?
This story makes me sad. The poor salesman was only 22.
:(
Wouldn't pulling the e brake at 90mph result in about the same ending?

[MidtownCoog]

A 20 y/o salesman and a 20 y/o customer?

Was this a used car lot or a real BMW dealer?

[Navy Chief]

@RMM - Probably not, as the driven wheels and the wheels upon which the brake operate are one-in-the-same: the rear, leaving the front wheels th steer. Never tried it, of course; this is just top-of-the-keyboard physics.

[Navy Chief]

@troschne - thanks for picking that up for me. The last handbrake I recall seeing on the left side of the driver was on my folks 1963 Chevy Nova station wagon.

[anon]

Unless the car is a stickshift, the e-brake would be a foot peddle on the left side under the dash. And yes, locking up the back tires would cause them to skid, and more than likely , make them lose control. It is possible to control this skid if you know what you are doing (like kicking the back end out while going around a corner). Additionally, even if it was a stickshift, locking up the rear tires would kill the engine (rear drive only, of course) unless the clutch was also pushed in at the same time, thereby losing your power steering.

[Cath]

Roger would have never told someone to go 95mph while on a test drive. He wasnt an idiot. Its the passengers in the back that are trying to help their "friend". Nobody was sticking a gun to the drivers head and telling him to speed.

This tragedy tore my world apart.Those of you that make jokes..just wait until someone special to you is ripped from you without a proper chance to say goodbye.

[ReginaFilangee]

So sorry for your heartbreaking loss, Cath.

The only truth that is known, however, is that no one KNOWS whether or not Roger told the driver to drive that fast other than the people who were in the car. Although you *think* he would never do that, he very well might have....in that one instance. I hear people say all the time that loved ones "would never" do something that they clearly did and often even confessed to. I know it's hard to consider that possibility in your grief, but it IS a very distinct possibility....one that was apparently supported by enough evidence to convince a jury. All we have to go on is what the article says, and the determination of a jury of 12 impartial people who heard the evidence and testimony firsthand.

My personal opinion, though, is that it shouldn't matter even if Roger DID tell the driver to go that fast. The driver was the driver, meaning the car was under HIS control alone....therefore he was the only person responsible for the vehicle while it was in motion.

The people who comment here are good people. One very valid way of dealing with sad or tragic stories is through slanted humor. It's not meant as disrespect at all. It's simply a coping mechanism. As a surgeon, I can tell you that such humor can keep oneself from going insane at times. It's obvious that you are too close to this situation to read any of that, and I would recommend for you to avoid sites like these.

Again, my heartfelt condolences for your loss.

[mianne]

Very well said, Regina.

There's plenty of gallows humor that goes on in the police locker room, the nurses' station, and the coroners' office. Most especially in relatively anonymous blogs such as this where we're essentially flies on the wall. A large number of the stories featured here are undoubtedly quite tragic to those for whom they directly affect.

The best advice would be to stay away from the comments sections of online news sites and blogs if an event that is particularly sensitive to you is featured in the media. That said, if such an event to happen to me, I doubt I could pry myself away from perusing the peanut galleries either.

[ReginaFilangee]

Thanks, mianne. I think I would tend to read them, too....and hope I would remember if I read any "humorous" comments, that doesn't mean that they were made by bad people.

Btw, anon: my car is not a stick-shift....and my e-brake is a handle located to the right of the driver, in-between the 2 front seats. It's not on the left, and it's not a foot pedal. Many cars I've driven and been in are arranged this way, and it would be easy for the front-seat passenger to engage the brake by pulling the handle up. It's not necessarily restricted to the driver, even in cars with automatic transmissions.

[NitroPress]

Parking brakes are exremely weak on most cars. Being able to hold a car against rolling on a 30-degree incline (about the limit expected, I believe) is a fraction of the force needed to slow or stop the vehicle at speed.

Yanking on the parking brake at 90 would have a slight effect at most. If the driver slowed quickly, before the parking brake pads wore away, heated up or otherwise lost grip, there would be a slight tendency for the rear wheels to lock. But only slight.

[Sigh]

I imagine, if he wanted the guy to slow down, then he should have started by asking the guy to slow down. I bet everything was just fine with the salesman until the car pulled in front of them.

[Navy Chief]

@Nitro - Thanks for making those points. I was about to do so, myself. Seems I'm being defended by all sorts of people on this. /blush/

[another anon]

"Unless the car is a stickshift, the e-brake would be a foot peddle on the left side under the dash. And yes, locking up the back tires would cause them to skid, and more than likely , make them lose control. It is possible to control this skid if you know what you are doing (like kicking the back end out while going around a corner). Additionally, even if it was a stickshift, locking up the rear tires would kill the engine (rear drive only, of course) unless the clutch was also pushed in at the same time, thereby losing your power steering."

Posted by: anon

How do you arrive at this? To a point, the engine of a sports car under acceleration is unlikely to die if you pulled the e brake, even hard enough to lock the wheels. Why not say to ease up on the e brake and control the slow down instead of locking the rear wheels? Pushing in the clutch would not effect the steering as the psp is operating off the engine pulleys.

[Van Sales]

I visited this blog first time and found it very interesting and informative.. Keep up the good work thanks..

[55Chevy]

What Arrrnold wanted to do to the salesman in the red Vette in "True Lies" is what needed to happen to the driver. If the salesman had took some action he might very well still be alive.

[how to grow taller 4 idiots]

All the guy gets is a speeding ticket?
This story makes me sad. The poor salesman was only 22.

[oval mirrors]

Did they realize that life is so precious? Maybe the driver just recently get his license not really familiar of driving. Poor salesman to early to die.

[Rosanna Boone]

90 mph is really high speed and if you are a little unbalanced there is high possibility of accident.

$13 million is worthless before any life.. Driver mainly should be in control as with him there would hundreds of person so if he gets unbalanced then hundreds of people may killed as well.

I remember an accident when I was doing field job for payday loans advice, I had to mainly visited banks which involved traveling also, the accident was very danger but I didn't got much danger as got sounded by other people during the accident.