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Daily Mail - Louise Eccles wrote:
Top scientist is killed in G-Wiz electric car horror smash
By Louise Eccles - Last updated at 11:06 PM on 22nd October 2010
Tragic: Dr Judit Nadal, 47, died in a car crash in Hendon, north-west London
Tragic: Dr Judit Nadal, 47, an expert in the study of proteins, died in a car crash in Hendon, north-west London
A leading British academic has been killed after her tiny electric car was involved in a crash.
Dr Judit Nadal, 47, died after her blue G-Wiz collided with a Skoda Octavia.
Known as Dr Nagy in the academic world, rather than by her married name, Dr Nadal was head of a research facility at Imperial College, south-west London, where she led groundbreaking work into finding solutions to a vast range of illnesses.
It is believed she was on her way home from the university when the accident happened on the A41 Hendon Way.
The safety of the ‘eco-friendly’ G-Wiz has been questioned previously.
In 2007, a crash test for Top Gear Magazine found a collision at 40mph would leave the occupants with ‘life-threatening injuries’.
Experts at the Transport Research Laboratory were so concerned about the Indian-made G-Wiz that they refused to risk their more sophisticated £130,000 crash test dummies – full of electronic instruments – in the test for fear of them being wrecked.
Instead, they used a cheaper, more basic variety.
Fatal: Dr Nadal died after her G-Wiz collided with a Skoda Octavia on the A41. The safety of the 'eco-friendly' G-Wiz has been called into question
In the same year, ministers expressed their alarm at the safety risk posed by this type of mini-car – exempt from standard safety test regulations as it was classed as a ‘quadricycle’ – and considered proposing a ban.
The accident happened at 6.45pm on Monday.
Dr Nadal was taken to the Royal London Hospital, but died at 8.21pm.
A post-mortem examination was held yesterday, but the results have not yet been disclosed.
She lived in north-west London with her husband Miguel and their son. Last night they were too upset to talk.
Concerns: In 2007, a crash test for Top Gear Magazine found a collision at 40mph in a G-Wiz would leave the occupants with 'life-threatening injuries'.
Since 2006 Dr Nadal had been director of the proteomics facility at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
Proteomics is the study of proteins and can help find the cure to many diseases by identifying the proteins in human cells.
Dr Nadal had been at Imperial since 1993, when she studied for a three-year PhD in biochemistry.
She went on to obtain a post-doctorate from Imperial in 2000, before being offered the role of protein analysis facility manager at the Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection at the college.
Police are investigating the collision and asked any witnesses to call on 020 8998 5319.
How very concerning that in this day and age the vehicle received such little testing and provided such a low protective ability - but is it a surprise. The car is tiny and light apart from the batteries. In any accident one must be gravely concerned about acid spill - or are they of another type of 'cell'?
I see that the car split in two and the battery compartment remained as one unit, makes me wonder fi not a roll cage type set up was / is not essential ?
It is obviously that small vehicles are more likely, to fair worse in any accident if it is to occur. I know with my little 'scooter bike' it is only as good as a small car and although not great it is better than 'just a bike' where one is much more vulnerable, but I am fully aware that I carry a high risk when riding.
So if the car has 'passed' 'a' test facility and all vulnerabilities made very clear to those who purchase the vehicle, can the manufacturer then truely be held 'responsible'?
Is this what happens when manufacturers are 'encouraged' to build new cars that perhaps should not be on the road ?
Is this like LPG vehicles and the dangers of gas cannisters in a standard 'car' ?