[Vitalstatistiks]

Hey, great to hear a positive story in context of tragic accident. I have seen a spectacular pile up on WEH myself, so I realise how easy it is get into one. Especially on WEH, which is the one of the few places in Bombay where you can really speed up.

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

As I begin to take pictures the Skoda and Indica guys runaway. So does The Fortuner guy after seeing the policeman approach.

Didn't understand this. Any idea why were people running away? I mean it's a pile up, it wasn't anybody's fault really.

[Sidd BHP]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Great Policemen!

And moreover good braking by you for saving the front end at least else the repair would have inflated further. ABS kicking in. Eh?!

As I can assess the damages and do check the below:

1) Rear bumper: ₹ 2300 (for a new one)
2) Painting the rear bumper: ₹ 2000-2500
3) Clips for the rear bumper: ₹ 100-200
4) Check the wheel well (Spare wheel)
5) Check the alloy wheel and if it is OK then get it balanced;
6) Boot door can be repaired by denting.

All the best and do feel sorry for you as you'll be needing to shell it from your pocket. You should have noted down the Octavia's number and also the Autorickshaw guy's number to at least get some compensation. Though they'll not respond.

The Heat of the moment did not permit my already fumbled brain to take the due action of noting numbers however i did manage to take pictures to plead innocence to cops. Also thanks for notifying me the Damage Assessment fellow BHPian The call came in from showroom guys this evening saying the cost may cross 15 grand. Happy that zero depreciation insurance is covering it

Originally Posted by Vitalstatistiks

Hey, great to hear a positive story in context of tragic accident. I have seen a spectacular pile up on WEH myself, so I realise how easy it is get into one. Especially on WEH, which is the one of the few places in Bombay where you can really speed up.



Didn't understand this. Any idea why were people running away? I mean it's a pile up, it wasn't anybody's fault really.

I guess the skepticism associated with getting entangled with cops and wasting time knowing its not gonna yield anything??

[300 KMPH]

Eastern express highway and Western express highway have such pile ups almost everyday. Rickshawaalas are the most useless. They block all the lanes and love scratching cars. Same applies to bikers. Mumbai Police should take strict action now against such drivers/riders. Hope your swift gets a swift recovery

[Vitalstatistiks]

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

I guess the skepticism associated with getting entangled with cops and wasting time knowing its not gonna yield anything??

That, or alcohol. If alcohol was not the reason, I wonder why would they show this 'truck driver' mentality of running away, (from a pile up, not even accident with serious injuries). Unlike truck drivers, they would leave THEIR (or their dear one's) vehicle behind !

And I will be surprised to know if all three (!) were drunk, Mumbai cops are fairly strict on that. Beats me.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

Also thanks for notifying me the Damage Assessment fellow BHPian The call came in from showroom guys this evening saying the cost may cross 15 grand. Happy that zero depreciation insurance is covering it

That's great news about the repair price for the damage.

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

I guess the skepticism associated with getting entangled with cops and wasting time knowing its not gonna yield anything??

Originally Posted by Vitalstatistiks

Didn't understand this. Any idea why were people running away? I mean it's a pile up, it wasn't anybody's fault really.

Fear that they would have to cough up the money for the loss of the damages done in the pile-up. Alcohol could be an issue but doesn't seem to be the case AFAIK.

It is a pile that happened due to the Octavia guy who used his brain to save that political hoarding from getting run over by his car! To save a silly sheet of printed material that character has damaged many other cars.

[carfreak]

In such an instance, when drivers abandon their cars and flee, what do the police do with their vehicles? I mean ultimately they have to come and collect their vehicles from the police itself is it not?

But yes such examples where police personnel act righteously do need the required attention! After all the usual image of the police is that of them harassing the common man!

[venkyhere]

the 2 guys running away leaving the car ? why, unless they were drunk ?
Even then, what do they do ? go hide behind some bushes, expect that everybody (including the police) will leave the location after getting bored waiting for these 2 guys to turn up ? Then they come out of the hiding place and drive away ?

I have heard of people running away to avoid arrest/public-ire if some death was involved, but this is too silly. Does this commonly happen in mumbai - is this the default response of "junta" in case of an accident over there ?

[D C]

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

VEHICLES IN THE ORDER OF PILE UP:
1 Octavia
1 Indica
1 Swift (MINE)
1 Rickshaw
1 Fortuner

TIME OF ACCIDENT : 7:16 pm Jan 4, 2015

ACCIDENT SPOT: Just before Malad Flyover, Western Expressway, Mumbai

I am glad no one was hurt. Sidd, your presence of mind did save you, the Indica and possibly the Octavia from further damage.

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

But here comes the element of surprise. Traffic Police defend me and so do the just arrived Local Police Constables; Saying firstly a Rickshaw cant ply on the first lane of a highway. Secondly technically he rammed into me and not otherwise.

Originally Posted by noopster

Contrary to popular belief, cops are actually quite reasonable, especially Mumbai cops. The fact that you didn't run away from the scene must have definitely worked in your favour.

One of my friends had a similar experience of a car rear ending his car in Chennai. When the cops arrived, they were reasonable and suggested it’s the other guy’s fault. Apparently, if we rear end another car, its our fault as we didn’t keep the safe stopping distance

[Slowjet]

Regarding rickshaw guy not turning up at police station -> In Pune, my car just touched the rickshaw rear wheel mudguard at speed not more than 2 km/hr as I had not released the clutch even because of his mistake (or the vehicle ahead of him), he demanded Rs. 200/- which I refused since there was no damange done. Seeing my car as DL registration he said lets go to the traffic cop across the road. We went and the traffic cop asked me for RC, license, insurance etc which were there. I told him to ask the auto driver for the same and it turned out he didn't have any, not even his license. Some arguments followed and auto guy told that lets go to Police station that was about 300 m to which I agreed and reached there. Waited in the car for him to arrive for about 5-7 minutes.

One constable came out of police station and asked me why I was waiting there and I provided the details. He was amused and replied

TUMKO SAMAJTA NAHI HAI KYA. RICKSHAW-WALA KABHI POLICE STATION AAYEGA KYA? Ghar jao aur aaram karo

[hserus]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

1) Rear bumper: ₹ 2300 (for a new one)
2) Painting the rear bumper: ₹ 2000-2500
3) Clips for the rear bumper: ₹ 100-200
4) Check the wheel well (Spare wheel)
5) Check the alloy wheel and if it is OK then get it balanced;
6) Boot door can be repaired by denting.

If the damage is under 10k you might consider finding a cheap + best sort of local garage to do the work, and avoid claiming on insurance. You may then save the NCB.

If it goes to say 150% the insurance premium annual value then claim by all means.

[nilanjanray]

Glad that you escaped wthout any serious damage or any injury.

I too, don't get people leaving their vehicles and running away. The details would be there in the database, in any case.

Most Mumbai cops are cool. In fact, Mumbai folks are most reasonable after a minor accident. Compared to people from Bangalore or Kolkata, say. Forget NCR.

I had my first (minor) accident in Mumbai, many many years back. Banged gently into a vehicle in front (he had stopped suddenly, I had just started to drive). The guy got down, looked at the damage (paint was scratched, a tiny dent) and just drove off. Since then, I have tried to do the same thing when someone bangs into my vehicle. What's the point of fighting or screaming or trying to wrangle 2-3K from someone, when it was an unintentional, minor accident?

[Sidd BHP]

Originally Posted by Slowjet

Regarding rickshaw guy not turning up at police station -> In Pune, my car just touched the rickshaw rear wheel mudguard at speed not more than 2 km/hr as I had not released the clutch even because of his mistake (or the vehicle ahead of him), he demanded Rs. 200/- which I refused since there was no damange done. Seeing my car as DL registration he said lets go to the traffic cop across the road. We went and the traffic cop asked me for RC, license, insurance etc which were there. I told him to ask the auto driver for the same and it turned out he didn't have any, not even his license. Some arguments followed and auto guy told that lets go to Police station that was about 300 m to which I agreed and reached there. Waited in the car for him to arrive for about 5-7 minutes.

One constable came out of police station and asked me why I was waiting there and I provided the details. He was amused and replied

TUMKO SAMAJTA NAHI HAI KYA. RICKSHAW-WALA KABHI POLICE STATION AAYEGA KYA? Ghar jao aur aaram karo

haha I experienced pretty much the same turn of events with the rickshawala Slowjet. 5-7 Mins of wait and his failure to turn up at the police station after his own over anxious stand of lodging a complaint against me.

Originally Posted by hserus

If the damage is under 10k you might consider finding a cheap + best sort of local garage to do the work, and avoid claiming on insurance. You may then save the NCB.

If it goes to say 150% the insurance premium annual value then claim by all means.

Dear Hserus thanks for the advice. However the Rear Fibre Bumper is beyond repair and has to be replaced. So the choice of showroom over local garage. Also the zero dep insurance covers the damage but yes the premium will hike!!!

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Glad that you escaped wthout any serious damage or any injury.

I too, don't get people leaving their vehicles and running away. The details would be there in the database, in any case.

Most Mumbai cops are cool. In fact, Mumbai folks are most reasonable after a minor accident. Compared to people from Bangalore or Kolkata, say. Forget NCR.

I had my first (minor) accident in Mumbai, many many years back. Banged gently into a vehicle in front (he had stopped suddenly, I had just started to drive). The guy got down, looked at the damage (paint was scratched, a tiny dent) and just drove off. Since then, I have tried to do the same thing when someone bangs into my vehicle. What's the point of fighting or screaming or trying to wrangle 2-3K from someone, when it was an unintentional, minor accident?

Nilanjanray, exactly the point I stressed on ;no point fighting when its nobody's fault.

[Crazy_cars_guy]

Sidd,

Happy to know you are safe, with the Mumbai Police constables being Samaritans.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

And moreover good braking by you for saving the front end at least else the repair would have inflated further. ABS kicking in. Eh?!

This would rather be a classic example of Brake-Assist in the ZXi models. Experts, please correct me if I am wrong.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Crazy_cars_guy

This would rather be a classic example of Brake-Assist in the ZXi models. Experts, please correct me if I am wrong.

I would say both, Brake assist of the ZXi and ZDi variants along with human brain responsiveness.

Hadn't the brain reacted correctly and on-time, the assists will be of no use.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Sidd BHP

Dear Hserus thanks for the advice. However the Rear Fibre Bumper is beyond repair and has to be replaced. So the choice of showroom over local garage. Also the zero dep insurance covers the damage but yes the premium will hike!!!

Genuine parts should be available off the shelf just fine.

You could take your pick of the garages mentioned here based on reviews. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai/

Just check - the labor charges especially might be far less with a FNG.