[Mishrap]

Hello Arvindb4,
This is really a very unfortunate incident and we wish your son a speedy recovery.
I was curious to know how this accident happened ? My apologies, if you already narrated it above, but I could not find it in above posts.
I was considering between Hexa & XUV as my next car. Seeing this post, we'll have to re-think.
Thanks.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by arvindb4

My son suffered from severe traumatic brain injuries. Right side of body, speech, hearing, motor skills are severely impaired and damaged.

Originally Posted by arvindb4

My son is 19 years old. A very bright out of the box kid who started his first internet startup at 14 years of age. Got a almost 95 percent in boards and a scholarship. He was heading to Canada for his undergrad this summer.

Extremely saddened to hear about this. As a parent of a similarly aged daughter, I deeply sympathize with you.

Originally Posted by arvindb4

...my son and his friend were brought to Fortis Emergency by an autorickshaw driver aided by onlookers...

Transported in an autorickshaw after a head injury?

Originally Posted by smartcat

Check out Mahindra's idiotic reply:
https://www.cartoq.com/xuv500-crash-...-explains-why/

Well, check out this video, where a C-Class aquaplanes and suffers side impact - the curtain airbags (on the left side only) deploy, while the frontal airbags do not.

https://youtu.be/zMjrnhMLHuc

Originally Posted by arvindb4

In the absence of a government regulator its difficult.
However it has to start somewhere. It's hard to trust.
I have met and I am in touch with the best technical expertise available but I have to be very sure.

Trained crash investigators (government or independent) do not exist in India, to the best of my knowledge. Some of the more comprehensive road crash investigation services exist in Australia, including the ATSB, the Crash Investigation Units of the police in different States, as well as independent investigators (e.g. https://www.monash.edu/muarc/researc...nvestigations; http://www.georgerechnitzer.com.au/a...construction/; http://www.crashinvestigation.net.au/). There are also courses one can pursue to learn about crash investigations (e.g. http://www.assenttecs.com.au/page/Tr...ation_Courses/). You might perhaps want to get in touch with someone there.

[mac187]

Originally Posted by arvindb4

Well if we have voices together, we can make an impact. I am doing it alone in the meantime

You are not alone Arvind, we are with you. I have posted this thread in my FB and Twitter feed. I am sure others will do the same.

I can't say that I understand your pain, I can't imagine it. Wish your son a speedy recovery. May God give your family and you strength to endure these tough times.

[New.Novice]

Gutted to read this. May god give you all the strength you need at this time. Also wishing a speedy and complete recovery to the young man.

Not a technical expert so can't comment on that. On my bit, I have posted this on my FB wall and urged my friends to share further if they believe in the cause after reading it.

[Storm2.0]

Arvindb4 while you are fighting for justice please ensure that these Mahindra guys don't tamper with the possible evidences, in this case the sensor/feedback system of the airbags. As someone pointed out in the previous posts that the computer system within the car keeps all the record of feedback received from the sensors and that can be used as an evidence if there's any grey area there.
Where is the ill fated car parked? Is it in some Mahindra garage?

[reihem]

Wishing the young man a speedy recovery !

I wonder if Mahindra / TATA take their vehicle safety seriously, or if meeting standards and compliance is all about the least effort required to barely scrape through - This is not a lack a patriotism here, it’s just the way many things happen in our country.

I’m a pessimist and a car lover and it’s a hard balance when you feel the need for speed while constantly imagining worst case scenarios. I bought the safest cars I could afford. God knows how they will perform should a terrible event occur. I hope I never have to find out.

[rangarx]

I could relate to you pain, Mr.Arvind. My hearty wishes to your brilliant son a speedy and safe recovery!

If a vehicle with 6 airbags fail to save the occupant from serious injuries, that too with seat belts on, don't know what else can. Again, the laws in our country don't help the sufferers, at lease in cases like these, where one has to fight a heavy weight corporate.

Hope this case be an exception and Mahindra lends its ears. And other OEMs stand up and take the safety of Indians seriously.

[srishiva]

Really bad. Wishing your Son for speedy recovery.
Makes one wonder if presence of safety equipment is really confidence inspiring. Hopefully, its a isolated incident. Is XUV tested for frontal and side impact by any testing agency and results available.
If its similar to the earlier reported incident where Mahindra gave some reasons why airbags did not deploy, then its wrong.

[peterjim13]

Wishing your son a very speedy recovery, and we shall be waiting to see him back in Action.

The incident, though has already been discussed deeply here, is of great concern to me as I have a W8 2012. Now that I recently did an overhaul of the engine - I have shared the silver box for a couple of faults, I shall ensure that I check the electrics associated with Airbag, ESP, ABS - on my next visit.

Let me know if you need any assistance in supporting your effort to grab Mahindras attention.

[vikram31]

Hi arvindb4

My deepest wishes for your son to heal fast.

I have an Oct 2014 XUV W8 and i believe this is the same version that you have as well.

I have a few observations and please treat my thoughts as purely observational:

1. It seems the accident happened on a busy street. I remember once swerving out of a tricky situation at 80 kmph and hit a divider at that speed. Luckily as I was decerating fast enough, the car came to a halt instead of toppling or losing control. From the condition of the car (especially since it did not roll over), it looks like the speed was way higher than 80 kmph
2. Isnt it true that airbags deploy if impact is at a high enough speed and not purely on the basis of the impact pressure?
3. I for one vouch for feeling safe and secure in the XUV. Have been in several tricky situations but the car has always guided out of danger be it is abs, esp and other features. Yes I have never been in a serious collision but I feel that in this case, speed was the reason for losing control and it may be some of the tech in XUV that ensured the car did not roll over. Also, if there was no rollover, how did the car get damaged so badly from all possible sides?

Please do not misinterpret my message. In our hearts we know we have done spirited driving more often than we should have. I am merely trying to present my point of view that there may be some unfortunate circumstances than a badly manufactured car. For one, I have non seen too many fatal or serious injury cases in XUV despite it being a reasonably popular car.

Please let me know what you think..

[avanishphatak]

I wish your son to get well soon.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by vikram31

Hi arvindb4

1. It seems the accident happened on a busy street.

It's a reasonably wide road in city limits. How did you infer that the road was busy at the time of the mishap?

Originally Posted by vikram31

From the condition of the car (especially since it did not roll over), it looks like the speed was way higher than 80 kmph

Not clear how NOT ROLLING OVER is correlated with SPEED > 80 kmph.

Originally Posted by vikram31

2. Isnt it true that airbags deploy if impact is at a high enough speed and not purely on the basis of the impact pressure?

Speed, deceleration, impact - multiple factors AFAIK.

Originally Posted by vikram31

3. I for one vouch for feeling safe and secure in the XUV

That feeling doesn't for a moment, take away from the fact that the said technology in this very vehicle failed to work the way it was advertised to - Maybe an opportunity to re-baseline those feelings.

Originally Posted by vikram31

In our hearts we know we have done spirited driving more often than we should have

This statement is leading & loaded- it implies a predetermination of rash driving, which is yet unknown.

[mohansrides]

Hello Arvind.... Let me set aside the other aspects of this discussion and ask you this. How is your son now? Is there anything that this online community can do to help your son? I mean aside from the obvious aspect of making Mahindra accountable, if you can think of any particular point of need that we can help you address, feel free to speak up. This is a difficult time; stay strong knowing that we all wish you and your son all health and success from here onwards.

Best Wishes

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by vikram31

Please do not misinterpret my message.

There is only one way to interpret the 'message' you have so carefully crafted - that it is in extremely poor taste.

How could you even consider "vouching" for the vehicle based on a feeling, to a man whose son's life has been severely impacted by an accident? Are you insinuating that this thread is meant to defame Mahindra, and has nothing to do with the fact that his son was grieviously injured - because YOU own the same vehicle and somehow feel offended?

The OP has been extremely composed and factual without resorting to hyperbole. Please respect his attitude and his circumstances.

[hemanth.das]

A friend had a similar accident in a W10.
Tried to avoid a two-wheeler, who made an illegal crossing on the highway by jumping the divider, swerved and the Xuv toppled.
Traveling with his family consisting of small children.
The grace of the man above, nothing happened to the passengers & neither to the two-wheeler rider.

None of the airbags deployed.!!