In New York there has been a real tragedy, a man has died following an empty car being started via remote control and crushing him.
Michael Kosanovich, 21, was standing in between two parked vehicles when the indecent occurred on the 6th of December.
A 2002 Lexus IS300s was the car which cause the fatality, rolling forward and crushing Mr Kosanovich between the two parked cars.
Bystanders did try to separate the vehicles, but to no avail as the vehicle once pushed back rolled back to its original position.
Severe trauma to the torso and legs was caused by the incident, and therefore Mr Kosanovich was rushed to hospital, passing away the following day due to the injuries.
The NYPD has reported that Mr Kosanovich was actually looking to purchase one of the parked vehicles at the time.
A spokeswoman for Toyota Motor North America stated, “Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Michael Kosanovich.
“Although many details are unknown at this time, we have reached out to local law enforcement to offer support in the investigation.”
Toyota added that Lexus “did not offer a factory-installed remote start in the 2002 IS” car model.
This would suggest such a remote ignition system would have needed to be retrofitted to work with the 2002 Lexus IS300.
The system’s instruction manual warns users they should never remotely start the engine if they are “unaware of the circumstances surrounding the vehicle” as it could pose a threat to the lives of anyone in the car’s vicinity.
