The late Reshall Jimmy was not up to no good or trying to commit suicide when his Ford Kuga caught alight with him inside it in the Wilderness, an inquest in the Western Cape High Court found this week.
After an exhaustive investigation, which included bringing half of a Kuga into the courtroom for expert testimony, Judge Robert Henney found that the fire was caused by an electrical fault in the front of the vehicle between the dashboard and the windscreen.
"In my view, it is clear that, based on the probabilities of this case, it is highly unlikely in the absence of any evidence that the deceased had a desire to commit suicide, or that he was unconscious before the fire," said Henney in his inquest findings.
He said the only probable conclusion based on the evidence is that Jimmy was overcome by gases, and stupefied to the extent that he was unable to exit his motor vehicle when the fire started.
In Henney's view, based on evidence presented to him, the cause of the fire was an electrical fault in the area between the dashboard and windscreen.
