Claim:   Photographs show a motorist whose torso was severed when he crashed into a truck while talking on a cell phone.

Status:   Undetermined.

Examples:  

[Collected via e-mail, June 2007] Why shouldn't you drive when you are drunk? Why shouldn't you exceed speed limits? Why should you pay attention to the steering wheel everytime you are driving? Why should you learn not to look unnecessarily at both sides of the road everytime you are driving? [Collected via e-mail, December 2007] WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BE TEXTING OR USING YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING I'm passing this on b/c I wouldn't want to see this happen to anyone else, not just to flash around or pass on pictures. Please pass this on to those you care about, it may open up their eyes. This is an example of why the law is going to enforce drivers to use a blue tooth device while driving. These are very gruesome and graphic pictures, and I have a weak stomach but I’m glad I looked at the pictures anyway. DON’T LOOK AT THIS WHILE YOU’RE EATING! This is so sad- for him and his family...

Origins:   These grisly photographs of a motorist whose torso was severed in an automobile accident are a set of multi-purpose cautionary images: They've been circulated (originally as a PowerPoint presentation) to accompany warnings about the perils of drunk drivers, the supposed fragility of the smart car, and the dangers of using cell phones while driving.

We don't know the circumstances that caused the accident depicted in these photographs. All we can say for now is that (based upon the license plate and writing on the wrecker) the incident appears to have taken place in Brazil, and the vehicle the unfortunate victim was driving when he collided with a truck was not a compact car but rather a Volkswagen CrossFox.

Last updated:   23 January 2008

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