“After six years I opened the Pagoda… on the Panamericana the rear wheel came loose and it came off.” says Carlos D. in the audio that went viral after the accident and took over social networks and media. His voice sounds calm, almost resigned, as he summarizes in a matter of seconds what happened on the Panamericana on Saturday. “I got out as best I could and a car came from behind and shook it as it came. He did it perfectly, they are nothing more than iron, so the restoration will take another six years,” he adds, before thanking those who helped him.
He waited six years and the joy only lasted a few minutes. That day, the man, a 67-year-old textile worker, had found his Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Pagode, a 1960s classic worth $180,000. I had planned to arrive in Punta del Este the next day, but the journey ended abruptly at kilometer 23 near San Isidro.
The police report accessed by LA NACIONconfirms what Carlos said: the Pagoda lost the left rear wheel and stopped in the fast lane. Seconds later, A Peugeot 408 driven by 41-year-old Sergio O. hit him from behind. The impact was so severe that the pagoda crossed to the right and received a second impact from a red Renault Sandero driven by Blanca M., 59. The only person injured was Bárbara S., 38, a passenger in the Peugeot, who suffered minor injuries and was taken to Boulogne Hospital. The rest remained unharmed.
In his audio, Carlos D. mentions a workshop by name –“I don’t know if it was Marroco (Oldtimer), I thought she was a little thing that touched everything.”– but without direct accusations. The San Isidro Functional Instruction Unit on duty opened a case for negligent injuries, the number applied when injuries occur in a traffic accident without any intent to cause harm.
The full audio, which lasts less than a minute, states: “Well, after six years, La Pagoda premiered, tomorrow I arrived in Punta del Este and on the Panamericana my rear wheel came off and the wheel came off. I don’t know if it was Marroco (Classic Cars) who thought it was a little thing that touched everything and well, I got away as best I could and a car came from behind and shook it as it came. He did it perfectly, I mean, they’re just irons, so it’ll be another six years Restoration will take time.” Well, thanks for everything guys, don’t worry, the tow truck will take me and that’s it.”
After the audio went viral, the aforementioned workshop came out yesterday to present its version in a video. “The car was with us a month ago. It comes from another workshop that has been restoring it for six years. They couldn’t get the injection system to work; we solved the problem.” After solving the problem, we went to test it and found that the car had many defects: brakes, rear axle, gearbox, steering… We informed the owner and he told us that the guarantee was elsewhere,” the person in charge explained.
According to his story, the intervention was limited to the injection pump and the vehicle was delivered so that work could continue in the original workshop. “Unfortunately, we have learned of the accident and do not want it to affect our jobs.”. They are accidents, they can happen to anyone, but we have nothing to do with them. Thank God it was only material damage,” he concluded.
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