On May 11, 2024, a user in Chengdu had just picked up the car for half a month, and a neck jam accident occurred during the use of the roof of Shanhaiju car, resulting in the death of the owner.
According to a friend who was with the owner, the rooftop tent was in the process of rising, and the owner entered the tent, but unfortunately got stuck in the neck. However, his friend's use of the remote key at the scene could not stop the rooftop tent from continuing to rise. And because the beam stuck in the car owner's neck is relatively thick, the car owner's friends can't pull it.
The schematic diagram of the position of the whole stuck neck is shown in the figure below: that is to say, the beam was originally on the left side of the neck, and the beam moved from left to right in the process of ascent just stuck the neck of the owner, and as the tent rises, it will definitely get stuck tighter and tighter. According to the position of the beam when the tent was raised to the top, the neck was likely to have been snapped at this time.
This incident also shows that the owner of the car himself did not read the instructions carefully, and it has been stated in the operation of the rooftop tent that no one is allowed to enter the tent before it is raised.
However, for the vehicle involved, there is no anti-pinch function for such a dangerous rooftop tent lifting process, and it really shouldn't be. Although you say in the manual that you are not allowed to enter the rooftop tent during the roof lifting process, you should still have an anti-pinch function just in case. After all, sometimes it's easy for a child to get into a tent early without being overlooked by an adult. Moreover, according to the owner of the car at the scene of the accident, the remote control key did not work during the rooftop tent lifting process at that time, and it could not prevent the rooftop tent from rising. If it's a key fob problem, it's understandable. However, if it does not have the function of remote control to stop the roof lifting, it means that there is a problem with the design itself.
However, fortunately, the affiliated car company did not explain and shirk responsibility first, but first assisted and cooperated with the investigation. It is also hoped that the real cause of the accident can be found out as soon as possible, and at the same time, it is hoped that the relevant equipment manufacturers can continuously improve the safety performance of the equipment in a responsible attitude to users.
Some netizens suspect that according to the descriptions of the on-site personnel before and after the accident, it seems that this roofing tent is directly raised to the top with a one-button start. Then one key to descend, directly to the bottom. There is no pause or way to stop it from rising or falling. If this is the case, the manufacturer does need to add an emergency button or switch so that the process can be stopped at any time in the event of an accident.
In addition, regarding the rooftop tent in this accident, it has never been stated whether it is equipped with the vehicle itself or purchased by the owner separately.