Texas man, 72, dies trapped inside his Corvette dream car

Jiggyfly

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Texas man, 72, dies trapped inside his Corvette dream car
New York Daily News

A 72-year-old man from Port Arthur, Texas, died inside his dream car when the lock system malfunctioned and he was trapped inside his 2007 Corvette with his dog, Leia.

James Rogers and his pet both died of heat exhaustion earlier this week, police said.

The accident is not uncommon for some Corvette models, owners say. A low battery or a low key fob battery can cause the locks to lock up. But there is a manual release on the driver's side that allows occupants to bypass the battery, according to owners' manuals.

Rogers apparently didn't know about that according to KBMT-TV. A battery cable had come loose, the station said.

He had just stopped in at a Waffle House, where he was a regular. As he got in his luxury car to leave, the doors and windows locked. He had accidentally left his phone inside the restaurant, so he was unable to call for help.

Another regular customer and employees tried to rescue Rogers but couldn't get the doors open. A firefighter eventually broke a window, but Rogers and his dog were already dead.

On an online Corvette forum, several posters detailed having been locked inside their cars.

"I called my wife and daughter to let me out with the extra set of keys. They laughed so hard and told everyone about it and they have made it a town joke about this," wrote a Corvette owner with the handle "syswayne."
 

Cotton

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Wow, that's terrible. I can't imagine dying that way.
 

Jiggyfly

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There is so much fail in this story. how about breaking a window or putting jumper cables on the battery and unlocking the doors.

I am no car buff but I know if the electricity is not working it's most likely battery related.

And was emergency services never called it had to take at least an hour for this man to die.
 

Chocolate Lab

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First thought, he couldn't break a window out himself?

But maybe at 72, he wasn't strong enough and/or didn't have anything heavy enough to break it with. Sad.
 

Cotton

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First thought, he couldn't break a window out himself?

But maybe at 72, he wasn't strong enough and/or didn't have anything heavy enough to break it with.
That was my thought as well. Maybe he just couldn't break the window. It's not that easy. It's not like in the movies where you can just punch it and it breaks. Even kicking it you have to exert some serious force.
 

L.T. Fan

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He must have been pretty feeble. I think I could get sideways in a car and kick out a window glass. That said maybe he was bare foot.. It's even possible he wouldn't allow the glass to be broken since this was his dream car. Still it is a bizzaro story.
 

Jiggyfly

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First thought, he couldn't break a window out himself?

But maybe at 72, he wasn't strong enough and/or didn't have anything heavy enough to break it with. Sad.
I don't think he could break the window out I was referring to all the other people there.
 
D

Deuce

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That was my thought as well. Maybe he just couldn't break the window. It's not that easy. It's not like in the movies where you can just punch it and it breaks. Even kicking it you have to exert some serious force.
Speak for yourself.
 

Cotton

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I don't think he could break the window out I was referring to all the other people there.
Yeah, the ones outside the car should definitely have broken the glass.
 

Cotton

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Speak for yourself.
Oh I'm sure a super stud like you could just tap it and it would fall apart on principle alone.
 

townsend

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That's why I never buy american...
I wont buy anything that doesn't let me open my windows and unlock my locks by hand. Not for this specific reason, I just don't want to replace a bunch of bullshit electronic controls that offer virtually no advantages.
 

1bigfan13

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I wont buy anything that doesn't let me open my windows and unlock my locks by hand. Not for this specific reason, I just don't want to replace a bunch of bullshit electronic controls that offer virtually no advantages.
Same here. I had no idea they made cars like this.

Sounds to me like a Corvette would be a sexual predator's vehicle of choice. They should find a way to build that into their marketing/brand.
 

townsend

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Same here. I had no idea they made cars like this.

Sounds to me like a Corvette would be a sexual predator's vehicle of choice. They should find a way to build that into their marketing/brand.
I kind of got that vibe from the brand already.
 

Clay_Allison

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Same here. I had no idea they made cars like this.

Sounds to me like a Corvette would be a sexual predator's vehicle of choice. They should find a way to build that into their marketing/brand.
I thought that was a large van?
 

E_D_Guapo

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Sounds to me like a Corvette would be a sexual predator's vehicle of choice. They should find a way to build that into their marketing/brand.
I think you should be issued a citation if you are pulled over driving a Corvette while not wearing a mustache.
 

E_D_Guapo

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The sad thing about this old man & his dog dying in the goddamn parking lot is that the first responders totally failed to grasp the severity of the situation. Seems like maybe they were trying to get the door open when they should have just smashed the window. Hard to totally blame them but, damn, just unfortunate circumstances.
 
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