Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies

Y@SH · 27th May 2012, 15:16

Quote:

A 23-year-old hardware professional, son of a retired Border Security Force officer, died after being burnt alive inside his Swift car on Saturday morning. The deceased, Ashish Rathi, was a resident of Daulatabad village in Gurgaon. The incident took place around 9.30am near Barusarai area of Najafgarh, southwest Delhi.

An eye witness said the man was trapped as the central locking system refused to give way. According to the police the fire activated the central-locking system in the car and therefore the car doors did not open.

Why cant cars have a basic feature of auto unlock when there is a fire?

May his soul rest in peace

CrAzY dRiVeR · 27th May 2012, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Source: TIMES OF INDIA

An eye witness said the man was trapped as the central locking system refused to give way. According to the police the fire activated the central-locking system in the car and therefore the car doors did not open.

Why cant cars have a basic feature of auto unlock when there is a fire?

May his soul rest in peace

A young age to die, and in such a fashion! May his soul rest in peace.

From news - it seems that the victim's father has alleged foul play involved.

RavenAvi · 27th May 2012, 15:45

Alarming news. Not expected from a segment bestseller, but it just goes to show that this sort of incident is not limited to the Ventos/Rapids alone.

Poor kid. A truly horrible way to die. Huge loss to his family as well. May his soul rest in peace.

A couple of questions :-

1 - Was it the new (2011) Swift or the old Swift?

2 - Did the short circuit (or whatever the reason was, for the fire) originate from the engine or from any other part? How come the fire activated the central locking, and it could not be opened through the key fob?
Like the father has alleged, there could be foul play involved in this.

More details would be most welcome.

theragingbull · 27th May 2012, 15:49

This is one of the reasons why the Polo and Vento's door never lock from inside and some people still crib about this feature. Every car should be equipped with such a safety feature so that no one can ever be trapped inside in any kind of incident.
Condolences to the owner's family.

souravc · 27th May 2012, 17:31

Horrible news , a terrible outcome of an accident. I still can't quite get it how the following is possible "the fire activated the central-locking system in the car and therefore the car doors did not open."
Swift locks can be manually unlocked from the inside so how can the central lock jam up exits from the car ?? Even if one door is jammed , what prevents escape from one of the other doors ?
I have said this in the Vento incident , saying it here again - how can the auto lock jam up all the locks when there is either no mechanical arrangement for locking from the inside ( as is the case in any Vento) or when there is a manual override arrangement (as is the case in Swift)
Hope someone gets to the bottom of this and gives a plausible theory

mayankjha1806 · 27th May 2012, 17:47

Now, this is extremely worrying trend, earlier it was only Skodas and VW's now Maruti's as well. While the full details are yet to come, it gives me jitters imagining this incident, and honestly if it can happen in a Maruti it can happen in any car.

We urgently need some sort of rules that ensure a full analysis of such incidents is done to ensure safely and well being of millions of car owners, and such analysis be made public.

May his soul rest in peace.

madnish30 · 27th May 2012, 18:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by theragingbull

This is one of the reasons why the Polo and Vento's door never lock from inside and some people still crib about this feature. Every car should be equipped with such a safety feature so that no one can ever be trapped inside in any kind of incident.
Condolences to the owner's family.

It's not only VW - it's all German cars - my Merc and BMW too can not be locked from inside - it's one touch open for all three German cars I have. People should NOT crib about it, sensible adults would not open the door in a moving cars and for children there is a child lock - USE IT!

ethan3686 · 27th May 2012, 18:17

Even i find it hard to believe that somthing like this happened. This is absurd. How can a man die in a car on fire just like that? I mean there are so many ways he could have used. Either manually unlock the doors or even break the windows using some equipment. Even if he didnt have any equipment, what about the people around him? Are they saying this happened at a remote place with NOBODY around? I find it shady and some foul play is involved here! Definitly this is not possible.

Y@SH · 27th May 2012, 18:30

Source: HT

Have been looking for more articles on the net related to the case of the incident. Heres what HT says

Quote:

"Initial investigations have revealed that the fire had originated from the engine and engulfed the car. The fire broke out in the running car. It was probably due to heat. First there was a spark in engine and central locking system of the car stopped working. Rathi got trapped inside and locals couldn't do anything as the fire spread within seconds," the officer further said.

Guna · 27th May 2012, 18:40

Sad incident. Wonder why the driver did not act the minute he sensed the fire, unless it caused some kind o explosion and did not leave nay time to react.

Recently I saw a Ford Fiesta which was stranded due to fire in the engine bay. The fire had melted the grill and the radiator part partially and the hear had caused the white paint on the bonnet to burn and turn black. While so much has happened the driver continued to drive until it stalled! He was talking to the workshop guys on phone saying the car wouldn't start and he needs it towed (so if it was starting he was ready to continue with the drive!!)
In another incident (which happening 4-5 years back) I saw a car with smoke coming out of the bonnet and the driver was driving it slowly with the flashing lights on and talking over the phone, probably asking for help.
Sorry for OT but I was stressing on the need to be alert.

ethan3686 · 27th May 2012, 19:40

I guess people should now keep a HAMMER or any window smashing device in their cars for such kind of incidents. This is really worrying :(

Speed Pujari · 27th May 2012, 20:09

May his soul RIP. I get down everytime I hear news like this.
It was today when I was explaining the importance of safety to one neighbor who was all set to buy a nano.

This is the third MUL car I have heard catching fire. First was an Alto which I witnessed going down to ashes in front of my eyes. Fortunately the car was not fitted with a central locking which made the driver escape on time.

My 9 year old car reads "this car is fitted with a fire safety mechanism which stops the fuel flow in event of fire", in addition the door lever is designed in such a way that a central lever can never make you strand. People call me a fool for owning two of such cars since there is no good after sales and resale.
Now what the lone father and the son who lost his life will do with the resale of swift or after sales for that matter?

Hope there is 'another' lesson learnt and we purchase a car after at least 'some' r&d.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 27th May 2012, 20:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethan3686

Even i find it hard to believe that somthing like this happened. This is absurd. How can a man die in a car on fire just like that? I mean there are so many ways he could have used. Either manually unlock the doors or even break the windows using some equipment. Even if he didnt have any equipment, what about the people around him? Are they saying this happened at a remote place with NOBODY around? I find it shady and some foul play is involved here! Definitly this is not possible.

His father is also raising the possibility of foul play.

But this makes me think - what safety device do we have in our cars as a backup? My car (like 99% others on the road, sadly) does not have a portable fire extinguisher, nor a swiss army knife. Never gave much thought about it. But I guess - better safe than sorry. Will be adding those two soon.

anjan_c2007 · 27th May 2012, 21:01

A gory incident indeed! May the young man's soul RIP.
Breaking the front windscreen could have been a better option to get out, but who knows what the situation was like in the final minutes?

PAVAN KADAM · 27th May 2012, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

May his soul RIP. I get down everytime I hear news like this.
People call me a fool for owning two of such cars since there is no good after sales and resale.
Now what the lone father and the son who lost his life will do with the resale of swift or after sales for that matter?

Hope there is 'another' lesson learnt and we purchase a car after at least 'some' r&d.

I echo your thoughts. But sadly such things comes out only when such incidents happen ( God's grace such incidents should never occur ever )

Lets not get down to discussing what could have been done to avert such incidents, few accidents dont ever give you a moment to realise what action you can take. May his soul R.I.P

Just request folks to give a deep thought with regards to safety while buying an automobile.

Whats famous and popular is not everytime the most safest.

27th May 2012, 15:45	#3
RavenAvi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Flying Around Posts: 6,666 Thanked: 47,568 Times View My Garage	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies Alarming news. Not expected from a segment bestseller, but it just goes to show that this sort of incident is not limited to the Ventos/Rapids alone. Poor kid. A truly horrible way to die. Huge loss to his family as well. May his soul rest in peace. A couple of questions :- 1 - Was it the new (2011) Swift or the old Swift? 2 - Did the short circuit (or whatever the reason was, for the fire) originate from the engine or from any other part? How come the fire activated the central locking, and it could not be opened through the key fob? Like the father has alleged, there could be foul play involved in this. More details would be most welcome. Last edited by RavenAvi : 27th May 2012 at 15:46.
	() Thanks

27th May 2012, 15:49	#4
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 646 Times View My Garage	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies This is one of the reasons why the Polo and Vento's door never lock from inside and some people still crib about this feature. Every car should be equipped with such a safety feature so that no one can ever be trapped inside in any kind of incident. Condolences to the owner's family.
	() Thanks

27th May 2012, 17:31	#5
souravc Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Kolkata Posts: 1,088 Thanked: 440 Times	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies Horrible news , a terrible outcome of an accident. I still can't quite get it how the following is possible "the fire activated the central-locking system in the car and therefore the car doors did not open." Swift locks can be manually unlocked from the inside so how can the central lock jam up exits from the car ?? Even if one door is jammed , what prevents escape from one of the other doors ? I have said this in the Vento incident , saying it here again - how can the auto lock jam up all the locks when there is either no mechanical arrangement for locking from the inside ( as is the case in any Vento) or when there is a manual override arrangement (as is the case in Swift) Hope someone gets to the bottom of this and gives a plausible theory
	() Thanks

27th May 2012, 17:47	#6
mayankjha1806 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,160 Thanked: 977 Times View My Garage	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies Now, this is extremely worrying trend, earlier it was only Skodas and VW's now Maruti's as well. While the full details are yet to come, it gives me jitters imagining this incident, and honestly if it can happen in a Maruti it can happen in any car. We urgently need some sort of rules that ensure a full analysis of such incidents is done to ensure safely and well being of millions of car owners, and such analysis be made public. May his soul rest in peace.
	() Thanks

27th May 2012, 18:17	#8
ethan3686 BHPian Join Date: May 2012 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 83 Thanked: 13 Times	Even i find it hard to believe that somthing like this happened. This is absurd. How can a man die in a car on fire just like that? I mean there are so many ways he could have used. Either manually unlock the doors or even break the windows using some equipment. Even if he didnt have any equipment, what about the people around him? Are they saying this happened at a remote place with NOBODY around? I find it shady and some foul play is involved here! Definitly this is not possible.
	() Thanks

27th May 2012, 18:40	#10
Guna Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,008 Thanked: 4,190 Times	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies Sad incident. Wonder why the driver did not act the minute he sensed the fire, unless it caused some kind o explosion and did not leave nay time to react. Recently I saw a Ford Fiesta which was stranded due to fire in the engine bay. The fire had melted the grill and the radiator part partially and the hear had caused the white paint on the bonnet to burn and turn black. While so much has happened the driver continued to drive until it stalled! He was talking to the workshop guys on phone saying the car wouldn't start and he needs it towed (so if it was starting he was ready to continue with the drive!!) In another incident (which happening 4-5 years back) I saw a car with smoke coming out of the bonnet and the driver was driving it slowly with the flashing lights on and talking over the phone, probably asking for help. Sorry for OT but I was stressing on the need to be alert. Last edited by Guna : 27th May 2012 at 18:42.
	(1) Thanks

27th May 2012, 19:40	#11
ethan3686 BHPian Join Date: May 2012 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 83 Thanked: 13 Times	I guess people should now keep a HAMMER or any window smashing device in their cars for such kind of incidents. This is really worrying :(
	() Thanks

27th May 2012, 20:09	#12
Speed Pujari BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 429 Thanked: 396 Times View My Garage	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies May his soul RIP. I get down everytime I hear news like this. It was today when I was explaining the importance of safety to one neighbor who was all set to buy a nano. This is the third MUL car I have heard catching fire. First was an Alto which I witnessed going down to ashes in front of my eyes. Fortunately the car was not fitted with a central locking which made the driver escape on time. My 9 year old car reads "this car is fitted with a fire safety mechanism which stops the fuel flow in event of fire", in addition the door lever is designed in such a way that a central lever can never make you strand. People call me a fool for owning two of such cars since there is no good after sales and resale. Now what the lone father and the son who lost his life will do with the resale of swift or after sales for that matter? Hope there is 'another' lesson learnt and we purchase a car after at least 'some' r&d.
	(7) Thanks

27th May 2012, 21:01	#14
anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 8,301 Thanked: 20,478 Times View My Garage	Re: Swift Catches fire: Owner Dies A gory incident indeed! May the young man's soul RIP. Breaking the front windscreen could have been a better option to get out, but who knows what the situation was like in the final minutes?
	() Thanks