Counterfeit spare parts installed in a KAMAZ-53229 vehicle caused a road traffic accident in Dagestan in which ten people were killed. The review report confirmed that the hitch that had caused the accident doesn't correspond to products made by KAMAZ PTC.
A KAMAZ-53229 with a trailer was running along the route Astrakhan-Makhachkala when a hook of the tow bar broke and the trailer came unhooked, crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and collided with a oncoming passenger bus. As a result of this road accident, ten people were killed, and eleven passengers more were seriously hurt and sustained injuries. In the course of the judicial proceedings it was proved that the traffic fatality happened due to the use of counterfeit spare parts.
According to the expert examination performed, the trailer came unhooked from the KAMAZ vehicle due to a kinematic disturbance resulted from a breach in the hook of the trailer gear. It was revealed that the parameters of the drawbar hook and the towing ring, as well as their design characteristics don't comply with safety regulations. Besides, workmanship defects found on the damaged surface of the tow hook for the KAMAZ-53229 truck could be the source of trouble.
According to the facts of non-conformity, a proper request was sent to KAMAZ PTC. Having analyzed the submittals, experts of the auto giant identified that the hitch that had caused the accident didn't correspond to the products made by KAMAZ PTC. In particular, the broken hook had no indications of the month and year of make, the emblem of KAMAZ's forge plant and the number of the detail, and there was marking not characteristic of KAMAZ castings. The operation of KAMAZ truck tractors with the examined tow bar is not allowed from a construction point of view.
The driver of the vehicle with the trailer on which the counterfeit tow bar hook had been installed was sentenced by Tarumovsk Regional Court of the Republic of Dagestan to 3 years and 6 months of improsonment. And it is now hard to identify who had produced the counterfeit spare part that caused the serious accident. However, it is possible to avoid similar accidents.
KAMAZ PTC advises to purchase spare parts only from authorized dealers and at KAMAZ Genuine Spare Parts branded stores. Please don't buy spare parts in unchecked shops: more often counterfeir products are sold at minor, unknown sales points. The best option is to see a list of branded shops, official dealers of KAMAZ PTC in a certain region (city) at the website of the producer www.azkamaz.ru. All official dealers of KAMAZ PTC have got a certificate of the authorized dealer. So, you can be confident of the quality of the product you buy at the branded stores.
You can learn how to confirm authenticity of the item and differ a KAMAZ genuine spare part from a counterfeit one here.