[samarth.bhatia]

That car looks really good, considering it has done over 76k on the odo.
Kudos to you for maintaining your car well, and more importantly, for doing the right thing under such testing circumstances.

Some learnings for everyone here:

1. Reduce speeds on curves, bends (even if you feel they aren't too sharp / even if you drive a car which handles really well / even if you feel you're an excellent driver)

2. Do not trust any other vehicles/pedestrians on the road - they can switch lanes / try crossing the road / decide to suddenly drive in the wrong direction (Yes, even on Yamuna EWay)

3. Seat Belts On always, all passengers. Airbags/ABS/EBD/TCS are all meant to save lives. And they do.

I've written these points down, more to keep them in my memory than anything else. I hope everyone can benefit.

Thank you, Arun, for sharing this with us all. Really glad to know you were back on the road in 48 hours. Kudos, man.

Cheers.
Sam

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Hey Arun,


Wish you a speedy recovery from the shock and hope your ride will be ready without any compromise on quality. But if not, of course thank Dezire and go for new car hunt. And hey, anytime give a shout if you need help with anything. This Tbhp neighbor is right next door for you.

Happy new year - this year is for you win over all odds!

Thanks a lot for your kind words, abirnale! Sure, will let you know if I require any help. Thanks again for your offer :-)

Originally Posted by phamilyman

IMHO, your choosing to not slow down (to something like 50, as I normally prefer, esp on seeing these moped riders/cyclists) or honk/flash lights led to this avoidable accident.

Agreed. I should have slowed down for the curve.
Some times back I tried slowing down to 50Kmh at every intersection and at one point I was afraid that I may get rear ended while reducing the speed and hence stopped following that rule

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Keep us posted of the repairs, insurance claim experiences.

Sure, will keep this thread updated.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Couple of questions,
- Did you not start flashing or honking once you saw that biker?
- Your passenger side fender also seems to be dented, how did that happen, any idea?

Nope, I missed it. I was too close when he started crossing the road. If he had continued moving forward, I would have escaped.

Originally Posted by devil_klm

Congrats Arun. And thanks for reminding all about the use of ABS and Airbag once more. Are you getting the car restored completely in previous state by MASS?

The estimate is 2.67L. MASS says its can be restored but the insurance guys are yet to approve the repair charges. They are asking for 10days since the estimate is more than 2L. Not sure whether they have other ideas.

Originally Posted by baludharmarajan

I have a query regarding the accident pardon me if it’s invoking a bad memory. When the airbag was deployed did it hit your face? Please let me know if you felt any pain in leg, chest and hand after the accident.
Hope your vehicle recovers soon and makes way back to you as soon as possible.

It hit my hand since I was holding the steering. And touched by face and chest, but I didn't feel any pain at all. May be if the seat adjustment is closer to the steering, we may feel the pain.

Originally Posted by speedsatya

One last thing , a car with cross member /chassis damage would never be same as OE no matter where you get it corrected . Alignment , steering , tire wear issues usually do crop up.This car has done well in giving you those super miles of fun driving and protecting you when it was needed . Maybe its time to evaluate one of those exchange options

Drive carefully buddy .

Thanks mate!
No chance of replacement now.. I only hope the insurance guys don't come back with a total loss case. they hinted at it to the SA at MASS. But no official communication/discussion yet.

[BulZire]

Arun, thats really shocking. Glad to hear that you came out safe without any injury. Without a doubt your accident is one more example of how the ABS and Airbags save life. I should definitely have these 2 safety features on priority when buying my next car.

[aneezan]

Hey Arun,
Been some time since i logged into T-BHP, but this was least expected. It is definitely by God's grace that you escaped un-hurt from this accident. Your experience took me to memories of the horror i had exactly about 2 years back. It was also on the Tirunelveli by-pass on the way to Nagercoil that it happened, except that it was a cow which jumped right in-front of the car. I was doing around 60km/hr in the Alto, so that saved me and my family from major disaster. I did the same thing, went for the divider to avoid the cow.

You are absolutely right. Seat Belts are the life-saver every time.
Recovering from the shock is tougher than the actual injuries that accidents cause. Hope you are doing well.
Hope you get your car in good shape.
Keep us updated.

[gopinathann]

Arun,

It's good to hear that you got out safely due to the safety equipments and wearing the seat belts. We need to be careful and trust no one on the road.

I feel it is better to hit straight if we cannot maneuver right or left since the airbags might not deploy on sideways. I am trying to understand what most people do in this situation.

[W.A.G.7]

Hi Arun,

Glad to read that you came out of it without any scratch, even though your car took the hit. Looking at the pictures I think the car has handled the impact very well. This is the second incident involving a Swift Dzire; in which the car has behaved exceptionally well in a smash (first one was rockporiom's Dzire). Anyway the car can be repaired; no big deal. What matters the most is that you were unhurt in any way. That's what is most important for everyone, including your family and friends. I think God was really watching over you that day. Did you get any clue as to who the 2 wheeler rider was? (any conversation with the locals or any one who was there around at that time?) It's also nice to hear about the good experience with the police.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Shocking and frightening. It is amazingly lucky that your Dzire didn't flip over, but the main factor is that you kept your cool, and you kept control.

[rajamuneeb]

Arun. Congrats lucky chap. Thats a narrow escape. Thank God you came out safe and sound. Anything could have gone far worse but Almighty saved you and must appreciate your presence of mind in such a critical situation too. You could have easily lost control or hit the biker injuring him critically or God forbid killing him but kudos to you as you just put yourself at risk despite that idiot being at complete fault. Wish your car a speedy recovery and million miles without any incident on the road to you buddy. Take care.

[shashank.nk]

I have to appreciate your presence of mind to save the biker and admire your courage to risk hitting the divider to save him. Like you've written,it could have been a lot worse. Not many would have reacted as you have,at the speeds you were doing.

Like the saying goes,God helps those who help themselves,good you had buckled up and spent the extra to go for the top variant. I hope your car is repaired soon and is back on road though I feel you may have to start looking at the 'new car section' pretty soon

[deetjohn]

That's a frightening read arun_josie. Thanks for sharing this very enlightening thread with us.

Your car being a Z variant with safety kit & better tyres (Michelin XM2?) and you having the presence of mind played a BIG role is avoiding any human injury. And that is no small thing in a crash on highways! Glad to know that ABS, seat-belt pretensioner (why is this missing from the damaged parts list?) and airbag did their job.

Relax and I am glad to note that you have already put this behind you. But I think you should get a new car. The pictures show that the right front wheel made impact with the median exactly where the spoke of the alloy is. The amount of shock this would have sent to the suspension and frame of the car would have been tremendous.

I would urge you to recheck the damage to chassis and get a revised quote if possible. It might help to declare the car as total loss. All the best!

[Chetan_Rao]

Kudos for being a responsible driver and having a cool head on your shoulders, both becoming increasingly rare qualities on our roads.

[naveenroy]

Hello Arun!

Glad to read that you had no injuries and that you are even back to driving! And to think that I have also done the same journey on bikes and a much smaller car many times now. Yeah, think I need to also keep the car at 100 kmph or lesser - I am seeing more and more people and houses getting near the highways - small shops cropping up. And because of this more and more people just running across the road, more livestock and also more and more cars suddenly slowing down for buying something or other on the roadside.

And yes, I make sure that I am belted up and have made certain that dad also belts up. I need to get the belt checked up for the back seat of the Spark - so that mom also is belted up.

Good to see that the locals for once did not try and thrash you and the cops were also helpful. Someone was smiling at you from above my friend.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by human_wheels

As you have mentioned that intersection has seen too many fatal accidents. Even then the concerned authority doesn't seem to be bothered to close it.

For authorities to take action, some big shot has to be the victim.

Originally Posted by A350XWB

When I opted for my second car, I was very much particular in buying the Titanium version of the Figo which included ABS and Airbags. I too travel on those highways a lot and can vouch that at the one time when you might have to use those, you will not regret paying the extra money because no amount is worth a human life, whether its yours or somebody else'. Drive Safe

Yes, its worth paying for security features. Hope these features become mandatory in the future.

Originally Posted by aneezan

Your experience took me to memories of the horror i had exactly about 2 years back. It was also on the Tirunelveli by-pass on the way to Nagercoil that it happened, except that it was a cow which jumped right in-front of the car. I was doing around 60km/hr in the Alto, so that saved me and my family from major disaster. I did the same thing, went for the divider to avoid the cow.

You are absolutely right. Seat Belts are the life-saver every time.
Recovering from the shock is tougher than the actual injuries that accidents cause. Hope you are doing well.
Hope you get your car in good shape.
Keep us updated.

Thanks mate!
Yes, I think I read about your accident in some thread. . In your case even 80Kmh would have been dangerous.
Still waiting for the approval from insurance, it may take few more days.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Did you get any clue as to who the 2 wheeler rider was? (any conversation with the locals or any one who was there around at that time?) It's also nice to hear about the good experience with the police.

No clue about the two-wheeler, all I know is, he was not wearing helmet and should be in his 40s or 50s.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

That's a frightening read arun_josie. Thanks for sharing this very enlightening thread with us.

Your car being a Z variant with safety kit & better tyres (Michelin XM2?) and you having the presence of mind played a BIG role is avoiding any human injury. And that is no small thing in a crash on highways! Glad to know that ABS, seat-belt pretensioner (why is this missing from the damaged parts list?) and airbag did their job.

Yes, it is Michelin XM2
The damage list is not complete, I will post it later.
I had plans to keep this Dzire for couple of years more, but now I will have to think on it. Insurance guys are doing one more survey tomorrow, will see what they have to say on this. The bad thing is, I am in bangalore and the car is in Thirunelveli hence can't be there when they do the survey.

[arun_josie]

Here is the estimate from MASS with long list of parts to be replaced/repaired. The total estimate comes to 2.65L and looks like insurance company has made it to 2.3L, I am yet to receive any official communication from Royal Sundaram. Tomorrow they are going to inspect the car again.

Please let me know your inputs.

[Santoshbhat]

Glad to note that you and the two wheeler rider got out of a dangerous accident safely.

THat gap in the median is at a very wrong place. It is completely unexpected for people coming out of that curve and also for people coming out of that median gap, the visibility is restricted. Normally people in smaller towns don't experience fast cars and their judgement is poor. If they see no vehicle for about 30 ~ 40 metres they simply assume that nothing is coming.

I had a very similar accident in my Palio about 5 years back when a three wheeler joined the highway from the gap in median without watching out for oncoming traffic. I was coming out of a curve and had to brake hard and I skidded straight into the back of the three wheeler. I was doing about 100 kph and since there was no ABS, I skidded for nearly 20 to 30 metres before impact. Impact was at some 40 kph I suppose.

That skid seemed to last forever. I tried pumping the brakes several times, but as soon as the brakes would engage the tyres would lock up. I lost steering ability because of the skid. Not a good feeling I tell you. The car does not steer nor does it stop. You just sit there and brace for impact. ABS must be made mandatory.