Not sure how the handbrake has now come into the conversation. Anyhow, IMO the damage to the car and the car going into the water is two separate events.
Most fishing boats have cranes or boom cranes on board.
https://www.heila.com/services/marine-offshore-cranes-heila/
IC - you ask how the handbrake came into the conversation!
So glad you asked.
I raised the handbrake issue because it could finally help prove how the car entered the water.
But firstly I must state - when a car's handbrake is "ON", then the handbrake is engaged and the car won't move. When a handbrake is off, the opposite occurs, the car can be driven, or is able to roll when in neutral gear.
Therefore -
If you belong to camp that believes BLF was craned onto a fishing boat and then dumped in the ocean off one of Perth's busiest beaches with no one noticing, then I'm guessing the handbrake was ON and engaged, so importantly, the car wouldn't roll around on the deck during transit.
However, if you belong to the other camp that believes the BLF was driven or released down an access road near Cott Bathing Pavilion, and either driven across sand into the water, or launched off the promenade, then in this scenario the handbrake would be "OFF" and disengaged, so the Fiat could easily move.
So, IMO crucially the handbrake being on or off when car was retrieved, IMO is a very important piece of evidence that could help settle the debate of how the Fiat drowned off Cott Beach.
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