Lars SchallImagine a brand new Mercedes C250 that hits a palm tree somewhere in Los Angeles. Would you consider it likely that the engine of the car would fly “50 to 60 yards“ from the car down the street after the impact took place? I’ve asked Daimler in Stuttgart, Germany some questions with respect to the fatal car crash of US journalist Michael Hastings. Mercedes Benz USA says it has “no information to provide because we have very little information on this tragedy.”
By Lars Schall
Imagine a brand new Mercedes C250 that hits a palm tree somewhere in Hollywood, Los Angeles with high speed at 4:25 in the morning. Would you consider it likely that the engine of the car would fly “50 to 60 yards“ from the car down the street after the impact took place? (1)
Well, that is what allegedly happened with regards to the single-vehicle accident that ended the life of Polk Award-winning journalist and book author Michael Hastings on June 18 (see here).
Even though the Los Angeles Police Department stated officially that “no foul play“ was involved in the accident, such a thing (an engine many meters from the rest of the car) was a bit too much for my imagination (the vehicles built by Mercedes Benz belong supposedly to the safest and best in the world, right?). Therefore, I wrote the following media request to the global press office of Daimler (dialog@daimler.com) in Stuttgart, Germany last weekend:
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
my name is Lars Schall, I am a freelance journalist.
Related to the recent car crash that killed investigative journalist Michael Hastings in L.A.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrMpkX-SD84,
I would like to know how you comment on the fact that witness Gary Grossman stated on record that the engine of the car (a new Mercedes) flew “50 to 60 yards” away from the car after it hit a palm tree (see video above)? Is this really possible?
I should add that the Los Angeles Police Department said that “no foul play“ was involved in the accident:
So do you believe that the disconnection of the engine from the rest of the car is attributable to shortcomings caused by your company? What’s your explanation? Did anything like that happen before? Moreover, will you establish contact with the LAPD related to its investigations? And what do you think about the statement by witness Gary Grossman that he “couldn’t have written a scene like this for a movie“?
Kind regards,
Lars Schall.
What said Daimler to all of this? After I had made some additional phone calls with Daimler’s press office in Stuttgart, I received this message from Mercedes Benz USA on June 28:
Dear Herr Schall,
Your inquiry below has been forwarded to me.
Unfortunately we have no information to provide at this time because we have very little information on this tragedy. As any engineer would tell you, virtually every crash is different and we would need to know details that the police haven’t released yet. Therefore anything we told you would be speculative rather than fact-based. We hope you understand our reluctance to speculate during the course of an ongoing police investigation. When and if the police ask for our assistance, we’ll know more.
I’m sorry we can’t be more helpful at the moment.
Best,
Donna Boland
Manager, Corporate Communications
Mercedes Benz USA, LLC
The next media request went via e-mail to the LAPD (contact.lapdonline@gmail.com). It said:
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
my name is Lars Schall, I am a freelance journalist from Germany.
According to information that I received from Mercedes Benz USA, so far the company wasn’t ask by you for assistance related to the ongoing investigation dedicated to the fatal car crash of Michael Hastings on June 18. Do you intend to ask Mercedes Benz / Daimler to participate in the investigation in any way — for example to exclude a massive design flaw? Do you believe that the disconnection of the engine from the rest of the car (circa “50 to 60 yards”) is attributable to shortcomings caused by Mercedes Benz / Daimler?
Below follows the information provided to me by Mercedes Benz.
Kind regards,
Lars Schall.
To be continued…
Note:
(1) 1 yard equals 0,9144 meters.
I would expect a lot of tight lips on this, for this reason: The hackability of modern cars has now been proven by a university team, not to mention a long list of assassinations by “Boston brakes”. The fact that so many car manufacturers have exposed all of their customers to the possibility of control of their car suddenly being seized by remote control means that one of the largest class action suits and recalls in history is waiting to be filed. I hope some very sharp lawyers read this.
I highly doubt if there are any teabagging, blood sucking leaches reading this site. We speak out against EVERYTHING those ball washers hold near and dear. Starting with their treasonous allegiance to the crown of England. Which every one of them pledges allegiance to!
Which is why the founders of this nation feared “Titled Gentry” holding positions of power.
A New York Jewish lawyer once told me to never forget that this country is run “by and for attorneys”. He was wrong, of course. This country is run by and for bankers, but most people, even attorneys, don’t know that. Bankers own this global human ranch, and lawyers are just their cowboys.
My car is a 2005 model, the year of the cusp for remote control with OnStar, etc. Though my car runs just fine, I keep getting postcards in the mail for free repair of a “defect” of the “Powertrain Control Module” at a certified dealer where it would be “replaced.”
Hahahahahahah – a cold day in hell that I would bring my car in for this “service.”
The Guy was murdered it’s very obvious. The question is this:
who is going to be doing the investigation and will the one who committed the act be held for it?
When you say you would kill someone then that person dies that makes you a suspect. Will those who uttered those words be brought to court?
Looking at this car, it’s very damaged by fire, but not very crumpled. I’ve seen much worse wrecks (without fire, of course) where the people survived.
By the way, anybody ever see a modern car suddenly burst into a raging inferno after hitting something radiator-first?
Raging inferno cars, especially modern ones, are quite rare. And spitting out engines is nearly unheard of.
It’s been said over on VT that it was a drone attack hence the flying engine.
Don’t worry all. This is just like that episode of Seinfeld with the “Loogey that can stop, in mid-air mind you, turn around and hit someone in the face”.
No foul play there.
Just like a plane can knock down two heavily, reinforced steel, world trade center towers and yet the brand new passports of the supposed hijackers were laying on the ground although there were no bodies anywhere whatsoever and they said it was because the heat was so bad, they just vaporized, yet the CARDBOARD PAPER passport booklet (which can be burnt just by the touch of a flame or heat alone) managed to have survived in tact.
No foul play there.
Oh and don’t forget the infamous scene in “World War Z” where Brad Pitt with a piece of metal in his stomach and the Israeli soldier with one hand were the ONLY ones that survived on a plane that crashed to literally pieces and I mean PIECES.
They really think we are that stupid.
Yep they sure do.
Where is the hood of the car? It does not seem to be open in the video so it must have came off unless the engine passed through it by magic.
Most likely is that this whole thing is fake, which means that nobody died.
Next best guess would have an explosion 50-60 yards back from the tree that left the engine and alternator (separate) behind while the car continued under its momentum into the tree without an engine.
If the explosion took place before tree impact the fuel lines would be leaking gas for those 50-60 yards down the street.
If there is no sign of burns on the street you need to go with FAKE.
I love Mercedes and I doubt that an engine simply fell off.
If the engine came out after impact it would have forward momentum and it would hit the tree or go beyond the tree in the direction of travel
Sounds like it was blown from the car to me.
Then again I don’t drink water laced with fluoride.
So I do retain a free thinking mind.
Not like –You poor sheeple excepting whatever the powers that be; tell you, without question
“accepting”
The article leaves out an important calculus; the speed of the vehicle…
Also, Mercedes has a safety feature in some of their cars (I don’t know about this particular model) that allows the engine to cant sideways instead of ramming back towards the passenger/driver areas in a strong front collision, this may explain the ability of the engine to depart its mounts.
I’ve worked in towing for almost twenty years. I’m not an expert but I have some experience with this. I saw a Cavalier drive into a crash barrier at 60 mph without touching the brakes. The impact is different in that the tree doesn’t give but the barrier is designed to absorb some of the impact. Still, the car was obviously totaled but the driver walked away without a scratch. Literally. The engine remained intact. It usually requires a much larger vehicle impacting a smaller one from the front side at high velocity to cause an engine to dislodge from the vehicle and rarely. I would think there is enough circumstantial evidence that something else happened here. Jmo.
I’d sooner believe in Santa Claus than believe this was an accident.
Unlike the engine, there seems to be some question as to whether there was even a body in that wreck.
Come on, get with the program, #1. It’s not that hard. It makes perfect sense. The body burned up and vaporized just like the bodies of the people on the 9/11 planes. But his driver’s license and/or passport was found on the side of the driver’s seat. (sarcasm)
Well, I guess if pigs can fly, engines can too.
First political assassination conducted by drone on US soil.
I am no “Expert” but the only kinds of Vehicle related incidents I have ever heard of or seen that involved the engine departing the vehicle either involved Heavy HP Boosting Modifications which resulted in only parts of the engine blowing out, and explosives which even though rarely blow out the engine usually leave parts of the frame attached to the engine mounts and destroy most of the engine.
the engine shown in this crash is in suspiciously good shape to have either been blown out or somehow launched out by the impact, that and the way that part of the drive-shaft is still attached is also very odd.
On the Hackabillity aspect, I know someone who removes all of that garbage and some of the things he finds in newer cars is almost unreal, most 2012+ cars have to essentially be completely torn down and have all of the electronics etc ripped out and completely replaced to make them into what they should have been in the first place.
some of the things he has been finding in the 2012+ cars include 8+MP cameras both inside and out as well as microphones and remote control systems all tied into the “Integrated GPS”, mfr of car or model makes no difference.
Add to this the fact that many (possibly all) auto mfr’s are increasingly discontinuing manufacture of many replacement parts for cars more than 5-10 (some a lot newer) years old and you would have to be blind and stupid not to see the direction this is going.
Did anybody notice in the vid that ,not only was the trans oil pan gone but so was the shift valve body.
“Did anybody notice in the vid that ,not only was the trans oil pan gone but so was the shift valve body.”
Yep, wasn’t Ripped off either, from the police HD Video of the scene it had been unbolted.
as had the Exhaust manifold and throttle body.