06-12-2007, 02:29 AM
Palm Beach County sheriff sues maker of driving simulators
By Rachael Joyner
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 11 2007
A pair of simulation devices that should have improved the driving skills of Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies ended up making them sick, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
Employees who used the training simulators experienced nausea, dizziness, disorientation and vertigo, all symptoms of Simulator Adaptation Syndrome.
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The simulators were bought from MPRI Inc., which neglected to mention that most users experienced negative health side effects when using their technology, according to the lawsuit.
The Sheriff's Office is suing MPRI for negligence, misrepresentation and fraud.
The Virginia-based company, which provides training and simulation equipment to law enforcement and government agencies around the world, sold the simulators to the Sheriff's Office in 2003. The machines allow a trainee to navigate through life-like driving scenarios displayed on three screens, according to the company's Web site.
A Sheriff's Office spokeswoman declined to comment on the suit. Company representatives could not be reached, despite attempts made by phone.
The Sheriff's Office bought the simulators after Bradshaw saw them at a conference, according to the suit, and a regional sales manager called them "state-of-the-art, highly effective and cost-efficient" tools. The equipment would do all this "without subjecting participants to health risks," the representative said, according to the lawsuit.
During training sessions in September 2003, employees got sick from using the equipment, the lawsuit said. Only after that did a company representative tell the Sheriff's Office that the simulators could cause Simulator Sickness. However, he said it was a "minor concern" and suggested that keeping the training room cool and having the employees eat ginger snaps would help.
The Sheriff's Office followed the suggestions, but they didn't help. About 70 percent of the personnel who used the machine experienced Simulator Sickness, claims the lawsuit.
After it was clear that the simulators weren't working as promised, the Sheriff's Office demanded that MPRI take the machines away and refund its money. MPRI refused to do either, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit doesn't say how much the Sheriff's Office paid.
By Rachael Joyner
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 11 2007
A pair of simulation devices that should have improved the driving skills of Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies ended up making them sick, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
Employees who used the training simulators experienced nausea, dizziness, disorientation and vertigo, all symptoms of Simulator Adaptation Syndrome.
LocalLinks
The simulators were bought from MPRI Inc., which neglected to mention that most users experienced negative health side effects when using their technology, according to the lawsuit.
The Sheriff's Office is suing MPRI for negligence, misrepresentation and fraud.
The Virginia-based company, which provides training and simulation equipment to law enforcement and government agencies around the world, sold the simulators to the Sheriff's Office in 2003. The machines allow a trainee to navigate through life-like driving scenarios displayed on three screens, according to the company's Web site.
A Sheriff's Office spokeswoman declined to comment on the suit. Company representatives could not be reached, despite attempts made by phone.
The Sheriff's Office bought the simulators after Bradshaw saw them at a conference, according to the suit, and a regional sales manager called them "state-of-the-art, highly effective and cost-efficient" tools. The equipment would do all this "without subjecting participants to health risks," the representative said, according to the lawsuit.
During training sessions in September 2003, employees got sick from using the equipment, the lawsuit said. Only after that did a company representative tell the Sheriff's Office that the simulators could cause Simulator Sickness. However, he said it was a "minor concern" and suggested that keeping the training room cool and having the employees eat ginger snaps would help.
The Sheriff's Office followed the suggestions, but they didn't help. About 70 percent of the personnel who used the machine experienced Simulator Sickness, claims the lawsuit.
After it was clear that the simulators weren't working as promised, the Sheriff's Office demanded that MPRI take the machines away and refund its money. MPRI refused to do either, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit doesn't say how much the Sheriff's Office paid.