Woman Killed by Her Fiat 500's Electric Window After Forgetting to Put Handbrake On — Police Call It a 'Freak Tragedy'

A seemingly mundane moment has turned into a nightmare after a woman's own car's electric window killed her. The tragic and bizarre incident, which police are calling a 'freak tragedy', occurred after she failed to engage the handbrake on her Fiat 500.

It's a shocking reminder of how quickly a minor oversight can lead to a devastating and unexpected end.

A Freak Accident: How a Simple Oversight Turned Fatal

Bernadette Delmotte, 60, lost her life trying to halt her vehicle as it rolled away; the tragic accident occurred after she had failed to engage the parking brake.

Accounts from her hometown of Bissy-sur-Fley, France, state she popped her head through the window of the Fiat 500 to grab the parking brake. However, it's thought she mistakenly activated the window's controls, which tragically squeezed her neck between the glass and the car's frame.

Her loved ones and acquaintances, who first grew concerned when she didn't appear for a scheduled dinner on June 13, initially worried that a 'madman' attempting to steal the car might have assaulted her.

'What the Hell Happened?': The Police's Initial Shock

However, enquiries revealed that her passing was the outcome of a terrible accident involving the car's window. Her brother, François, told Franceinfo: 'At first, even the police were confused.'

'They were really asking, "What the hell happened?" I didn't understand it either. When they called me to tell me, I was confused, in denial. Overwhelmed with emotion, I told myself all sorts of things - that someone had attacked her, that she had died by suicide - and then, little by little, I understood.'

And her close friend, Béatrice, told France 3: 'It seems the handbrake hadn't been applied. The car then began to roll backwards. To stop it, Bernadette threw herself through the open window to stop it from going any further. But her hand moved over the window control, and by the time she straightened up, the window stopped on her neck.'

An autopsy confirmed that Bernadette died from asphyxiation. According to France 3 and BFM TV, her death was officially ruled an accident, with authorities confirming that no crime had been committed.

Bernadette's brother is not pursuing financial damages, but he did inform France 3 that he had sent a formal letter to Fiat concerning the event. 'I am not in the process of claiming compensation, because that will not give me back my sister. I simply want to start thinking about it to avoid further tragedies', he said.

Not the First Time: A Deadly Precedent in Ukraine

Back in 2021, a woman in Ukraine suffered a similar freak accident and passed away after becoming trapped by her neck in the window of her stationary BMW vehicle.

While celebrating her 21st birthday, the mother of two was leaning out of the front passenger window to reach her daughter. She died after the young child accidentally triggered the electric window control, causing it to close and crush her throat.

Her husband discovered her unconscious, and she passed away eight days after the incident due to brain damage caused by the asphyxia she had suffered.

Numerous contemporary automobiles include 'pinch protection' features intended to stop injuries from closing windows. They generally employ sensors that identify resistance as the window moves, which then activate an automatic safety mechanism.