Truck braking system likely averted some Berlin deaths
Under 2012 EU law, cameras aboard rigs can trigger stops
An automatic braking system required by law may have prevented more deaths in last week’s truck rampage through a Christmas market, according to an investigation by German media.
The 40-ton truck used in the attack Dec. 19 stopped about 250 feet after it was intentionally rammed into the market, suggesting its mandatory, anti-collision system had been deployed, said a joint report by the newspaper
Süddeutsche Zeitung and broadcasters NDR and WDR. The attack left 12 people dead and injured 48.
Investigators have not com- mented on the finding, which raises the possibility the truck’s braking system saved lives.
A European Union law adopted in 2012 requires all new trucks over a certain size to be fitted with an automatic braking system to reduce the number of rear-end collisions. The system, which uses cameras to detect hazards, alerts the driver to potential dangers. If no action is taken, the brakes are engaged. The system can be manually overridden.
The Scania R450 truck crashed into several wooden cabins and tore down a Christmas tree before coming to a halt. The emergency braking system regulation applies to trucks with axles weighing more than 3.5 tons, according to the EU legislation.
In July, more than 80 people were killed when a terrorist rammed a 19-ton truck into Bastille Day crowds in Nice, France. The truck came to a halt after the driver was killed by police.
It is not clear whether that vehicle was fitted with a similar braking system.
In the Berlin attack, German investigators ruled out a hypothesis that the original Polish driver of the truck may have heroically acted to prevent additional loss of life.
Investigators speculated that Lukasz Urban could have been involved in a struggle with Anis Amri, the suspected hijacker, as the vehicle slammed into the market. Urban was found dead in the truck with bullet and stab wounds. Subsequent forensic examinations revealed Urban was shot in the head several hours before the attack.
Amri, 24, a Tunisian national, was shot and killed by police in Milan on Friday. He fled to Italy after the attack. The Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack, released a video — determined by investigators to be genuine — that shows Amri pledging allegiance to the militant group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Thursday, German prosecutors released a 40-year-old Tunisian national who was detained Wednesday on suspicion of being Amri’s accomplice. The man’s cellphone number was found saved in Amri’s phone. Prosecutors concluded the man had not been in contact with Amri immediately before the attack.