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Young scientist’s death sparks alarm over deadly airbags in motor cars
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The airbag was activated but killed Dr. Vimukthi Prasad Jayaweera (right) with the metal object (top right) attached to the airbag hitting him in the neck. Pix by Indika Handuwala
By Senuka Jayakody
The death of a young scientist last week in a road accident near Horana at night has triggered concerns over the safety of airbags of vehicles imported to Sri Lanka.
Dr. Vimukthi Prasad Jayaweera, 37, had been returning home at the wheel of his Honda Hybrid Insight car bearing the licence plate number KR-0990. He had bought some lotus flowers from the Piliyandala area which his family needed for a Buddhist religious offering the following day. Just 15 minutes earlier, he had confirmed to his wife that he was on his way back.
He was driving on the Colombo-Horana road when his car crashed into a pile of rubble left behind near a newly built telecommunication manhole at Kumbuka, Gonapola. There was minimal warning with just a small barrier left without any illumination.
Vimukthi is a ‘Bodhisattva, says his widow Priyadarshanee, adding that her husband's death is a major loss to the country
Sub Inspector Wimal Ananda, the officer in charge of the Moragahahena Police Traffic Division, had visited the scene, but by then, another motorist had taken the victim to the Horana Hospital. Dr. Jayaweera was pronounced dead on admission.
“An iron part of the barrier placed near the manhole was found on the windscreen, but there was no damage to the windscreen. Looking at the vehicle, there was no reason to believe that crashing into rubble alone resulted in the death,” Sub Inspector Ananda told the Sunday Times.
Only the bumper had been damaged after the vehicle had crashed onto the rubble and then struck the centre island after moving about 200 metres before coming to a halt.
SI Ananda said he observed that the airbag had been activated.
Horana Base Hospital Coroner Sumedha Gunawardena told the Sunday Timesthat according to the post-mortem examination, a metal object was found between two nerves in the neck of the deceased.
Vimukthi's car (left) crashed into a pile of rubble left behind near this newly-built telecommunication manhole on Colombo-Horana Road
The object was a brass part of the air pump of the airbag which had detached and struck Dr. Jayaweera.
The Judicial Medical Officer’s report said the death was caused by internal bleeding and shock resulting from a metal object which was connected to the airbag piercing the neck of the deceased.
“Except for the injuries caused by the metal object, there were no injuries at scale to cause a death,’’ Mr. Gunawardena said. “This is an unbelievable occurrence.”
SI Ananda said: “What was meant to protect the driver is the exact reason for the death of the driver.”
Sub Inspector Wimal Ananda
The incident appears to be part of an issue worldwide over defective Japanese-made airbags by Takata. Its devices had been installed in cars mostly from model years 2002 through 2015. Some of those airbags could explode, injuring and even killing occupants. A total of 67 million airbags have been recalled at the end of last year, but 11 million are yet to be replaced. (See separate story).
It is not known whether motor vehicle users in Sri Lanka have been sufficiently made aware of the risks of defective airbags.
Car dealers, local councils in spotlight over driver safety
Stafford Motor’s Automobile Division General Manager Sanjeeve Gooneratne in a statement said that the majority of the Honda vehicles imported had not been through Stafford Motors, the sole distributor for Honda products in Sri Lanka for well over 45 years.
“We are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Dr. Jayaweera, resulting from this tragic accident. We also extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends in this hour of deep grief,’’ the statement said.
He said that the vehicle involved in the accident, a Honda Insight, had neither been imported nor maintained by Stafford Motors.
“We regret to share that many have not taken advantage of the newspaper notices previously published by our organisation stating the possible consequences in the event of an impact due to airbag rupture,” the statement said.
“We have been handling many inquiries and requests during the last few days for replacement of SRS inflators subsequent to this incident and have been successful in facilitating many, prioritising customers who have purchased/maintained vehicles through the company, while the rest will be compelled to be accommodated on first come, first served basis.
“Considering the safety of all Honda users in the country we wish to emphasise that with the concurrence of our principals Honda Motor Co Ltd, Japan, this facility had always been extended free of charge to even vehicles which were not purchased or imported through Stafford Motors.”
However, the surge in demand for SRS inflator replacements has now depleted the stocks and many face a long wait until parts are sent from Honda Motor Co.
“Unfortunately, we have not received spare parts from Honda Japan for over two years due to import restrictions imposed by the Government, and overseas suppliers not agreeing to facilitate exports to Sri Lanka due to the ongoing economic crisis.”
The company said a notice would be re-published citing the Honda vehicle models affected.
Stafford Motors said the SRS inflators can only be replaced by the authorised distributor/agent as parts can only be imported directly from the principals.
A buyer of a Honda vehicle through Stafford Motors Company and gets his car serviced said the company had not told him that the airbag should be checked.
Several other Honda owners also said none had seen any notice.
But, Mr Gooneratne said newspaper notices had been placed in English and Sinhala from two years ago. A notice in Tamil is also to be issued.
A spokesman for Toyota Lanka said the manufacturing defect of the “Takata airbags” is a main issue in the Corolla 121, Corolla 141, Axio 141, Yaris and Belta vehicles. A recall has begun to fix passenger-side airbags for free, even for second-hand vehicles.
The chassis numbers would be sent to Japan and Toyota Lanka would change an airbag if faulty, he said.
He said newspaper notices had been published since 2010 about airbags.
The tragedy is shining a harsh light also on the lack of road safety measures involving construction companies and local councils.
The project inspector, along with eight other workers, of Sierra Company working on a contract with Sri Lanka Telecom had built a manhole, covered it, and piled rubble on it. They had placed three one-and-a-half-foot wide barricades on three sides. But these had not been illuminated.
There had not been any warnings of danger to drivers either. The police said this is a violation of the Motor Traffic Act. A further violation was the placement of any sand or rock on the road, violating the 59th and 60th sections of the Act No. 40 of 2008.
This was made worse by the lack of streetlights, the responsibility of the local council.
The police arrested the work supervisor, Dimuthu Dayal Lorensuhewa, for acting negligently. He was remanded by Horana Magistrate Chandana Kalansuriya on Monday until Friday and granted bail on Friday. The next hearing is on June 2, 2023.
Sierra Construction told the Sunday Times that its lawyer had informed them not to provide information to the media since a case is pending.
Dr Jayaweera’s wife, Lakmini Priyadarshani, said they were preparing an offering for ‘kiri mawwaru’ on the following day for their three-month-old baby, and had gone to buy lotus flowers. At 10:12pm, she called him and he replied: “I am on my way home bringing the lotus flowers.’’
“I had been telling him to leave the country. Even though we thought alike, I am a mother. I accept I was selfish. But, he always refused, saying, “other children also need this country’”, she recalled. “Vimukthi is a ‘Bodhisattva.’ He has gone to a good place and would look after and guide me and the child on the right path. My disappointment is the loss for the country caused by his death. It is not my misfortune or that of the child but the country.”
His parents, M.T.F. Jayaweera, 70, and Seelawathi Liyanapathirana, 65, had been on the way to the offering when the tragedy occurred. At 9:30 pm Dr. Jayaweera had called his mother to say he would be leaving to buy some flowers and she had told him: “Okay, son, come home safely.”
Buddhi Wimalasekara, a close friend of Dr. Jayaweera, said: “The rubble could have been removed within thirty minutes after completion of cementing the manhole. “This is not negligence, this is a pure crime.”
“Besides, Dr. Vimukthi was killed due to an airbag defect, which car manufacturers already knew, but did not act professionally in Sri Lanka as in other countries,” he said. He then asked vehicle owners: “Have you been informed that you may still be driving a car that can kill you?”
Dr. Jayaweera had attended the University of Colombo with Mr. Wimalasekera. Dr. Jayaweera then proceeded to do his doctoral degree at the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) and was teaching there at the time of his death.
| Japan’s Takata gained notoriety Dr. Rohan Pallewatta, the chairman of Lanka Harness Pvt. Ltd., which specialises in manufacturing airbag sensors, while expressing his disappointment for the loss of life, says the airbag issue was caused by Japan’s Takata Public Limited Company. New airbag systems have been designed in such a way that when pieces detach and fly off, they would take a different direction so as not to cause any harm to passegers, in addition to meshes which control any unnecessary pieces from detaching and flying off.
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| Sudden deceleration sets off sensorAn academic explains that an airbag sensor/s (impact sensor/s) are usually at the front of the car and is activated on deceleration. Dr. Chathura Ranasinghe, a senior lecturer of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, said a sudden deceleration beyond a certain threshold limit, when a vehicle is moving generally above 30 kilometres per hour causes the airbag sensors to activate and the ignitor or the inflator inflames a chemical which produces nitrogen and expands the airbag in a fraction of a second. There are small vents in the airbag, through which the inflated gas seeps out, deflating the airbag. This also occurs in a few milliseconds. Children below 12 years of age, should not be in the front seats because they are unable to withstand the pressure of an airbag. |
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