Date of incident: February 2021
Notice of incident number: 2021182710006
Employer: Auto dealership

Incident summary
On the second floor of an automotive service and repair shop, a worker was operating a motor vehicle. The customer had modified the vehicle with an adaptive control system that allowed the brake and accelerator pedals to be mechanically operated by a hand lever. The two pedals could also be operated normally, without the use of the lever. As the worker was preparing to drive the vehicle out of the car wash, the vehicle accelerated, crashed through the closed doors of a freight elevator, and fell approximately 5.5 m (18 ft.) before landing vertically at ground level inside the elevator shaft. The worker was seriously injured.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Vehicle accelerated, resulting in loss of control. The investigation determined that the vehicle accelerated as a result of the accelerator pedal being depressed by the worker either by using the adaptive hand control or by depressing the accelerator with his foot. The worker subsequently lost control of the vehicle.

Request the full report