A FRENCH woman suffocated to death in a freak accident after being trapped by her car’s automatic window — leaving family and friends initially baffled by how she died.
Bernadette Delmotte, 60, was found dead in her red Fiat 500 in the eastern village of Bissy-sur-Fley, after the window allegedly closed on her throat.
Bernadette Delmotte, 60, died after a freak accident on June 13www.viadeo.journaldunet.com
Bernadette was found dead inside her red Fiat 500 (stock image)Getty
At first, even police struggled to explain the tragedy.
Bernadette’s brother François told France 3: “They were asking, ‘What the hell happened?’”
Her friend Béatrice also recalled: “It was so mysterious. We thought maybe she had a heart attack, or that someone – a madman – had come by to steal her car and hurt her.
“But we could never have imagined what really happened.”
Bernadette had been cleaning the vehicle when the tragedy occurred on June 13, according to France 3 and BFM TV.
Investigators believe she leaned through the window to reach the handbrake — which she had forgotten to apply — and accidentally pressed the automatic window control.
The glass then rose and fatally compressed her neck.
“It seems the handbrake hadn’t been applied,” Béatrice told France 3.
“The car then began to roll backward. 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.”
Friends expecting Bernadette for dinner that evening grew worried when she failed to show up.
After unanswered calls, they went to her home and discovered her body still stuck in the window, reports say.
An autopsy confirmed she died of asphyxiation, with investigators ruling out foul play, reported France 3.
Authorities classified the case as a tragic accident.
The bizarre death has left her small village in shock.
Bernadette, who had moved to Bissy-sur-Fley about a decade ago after leaving Paris, was well known locally.
Born in Congo and of Belgian origin, she had worked as a coach and training consultant before retiring.
Her ashes were later spread in the village she loved.
Her brother has since written to Fiat, though he stressed he is not seeking damages.
“I am not in the process of claiming compensation, because that will not give me back my sister,” he told local media.
“I simply want to start thinking about it to avoid further tragedies.”
Bernadette lived in the quiet French village of Bissy-sur-FleyAlamy Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
