Hit and Run Allegedly Caused By New Car Smell

December 18, 2010-Here is something I have not blogged about. But I can actually see how you could get a dose of this stuff and become impaired. New car smell uses as defense in hit and run bicycle crash.

The new car smell that drivers enjoy after purchasing a new car is a mix of chemical compounds that people enjoy so much that it can be found manufactured in auto air fresheners. The odor is a mix of chemical compounds from the leather, plastic, cloth, wood interior components of vehicles that have just come off the assembly line.

The question has been raised if the new car smell can be intoxicating in a Colorado hit and run accident. According to reports, court documents show financial manager Martin Joel Erzinger was charged with a nighttime hit and run accident with a cyclist in July and allegedly fled the scene.

Mr. Erzinger, according to his attorney lost consciousness prior to the accident and the loss of consciousness is blamed on the new car smell from his one month old Mercedes-Benz. According to an accident reconstruction expert hired by Mr. Erzinger’s attorneys has stated that the noxious gases emitted from the upholstery could have filled the driver’s compartment and potentially cause the driver’s sense to be altered.

The defense attorneys stated that Mr. Erzinger suffered from sleep apnea and dozed off at the wheel prior to leaving the road and striking the bicyclist. There has been at least one study that found the fumes from new car interiors could be a health hazard, due to the organic compounds that are used. This is especially dangerous on hot days when the windows are shut. The fumes emitted known as new car smell has been linked with health problems including throat irritation and cancer.

If you were injured in a new car smell case, contact a car accident attorney at Ehline Law Firm PC to discuss at 213.596.9642.