A valet working at Vancouver Airport has found himself in court this week after crashing a rare Mercedes sports car belonging to a client.
The owner of the luxury sports car has been awarded $20,000 in damages after the valet lost control of the vehicle while overtaking a lorry on an airport road, the car was then propelled over a concrete barrier, before landing in bushes.
It took over two months to repair the damage to the Mercedes SL 65 at a cost of $26,000. The valet lost his job immediately.
The sports car can achieve 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds. In 2005, the Mercedes SL 65 was the “fastest production motor car in the world.”
Part of the case centred around whether or not the valet had turned off an EPS system on the car. The computerised stabilization system on the car recognises when the wheels are starting to spin, and automatically attempts to correct itself. If this system is switched off, it can make the car mush harder to handle. However the valet was unable to say if he had accidentally turned the EPS off or not.
The judge awarded the Mercedes owner damages totalling $16,000 which included $16,000 for accelerated depreciation of the car’s value, $3,000 for inconvenience and loss of use, and $1,600 for special damages. A claim for anguish and emotional distress was dismissed.
