[ramkya1]

On a busy road, Gota-Ognag highway, Ahmedabad, a new BMW car with 4 mechanics from the dealer inside, caught fire, all of them died in the incident.

Reportedly, at 0730 PM yesterday, the BMW at high speed hit a 16 wheel trailer hard, was dragged moe than 500 meters by the trailer, had a blast and caught fire. The driver and co-passenger in the front died on the spot, the 2 mecahnics in the back tried to get out, but was too late as the doors were jammed.

Police, BMW.. bla...bla..bla are investigating and will issue a public statement (that would would be acceptable to all?) What a sham!!!

Now the questions:

1. How can a BMW get charred to just rims and the chasis in under 15-20 minutes (eyewitness accounts)
2. Is this the safety of one of the best engineered cars in the world?
3. The trailer just drove away, the driver was not aware of what happened, HE JUST DROVE 500 MTRS withouot realizing he is pulling a 2 ton car and "Drove Away!!!!". Was he a Zomby, was the trailer on auto-pilot? How can this happen?

Want to drive home my pet point: We are not equipped in India for high speeds, even with the best roads, best cars, best whatever. Anything above 120-130 is lethal; doesn't matter if you are the best driver, have driven 25 years without a scratch etc.; other variables are all "AGAINST" you.

I don't mind being branded an ALARMIST; please drop aggressive postering on the roads, road rages, crazy long-distance driving stunts, "sleepless-drive-for-3-days-I'm-the-only-one" kinds, Raid-type-endurance stunts without safety etc., it just is not worth the effort. You have loved ones around wanting for you to arrive alive and functional.

--------

[ajmat]

No car is 100% safe
Truck had no guard railings so these guys did not stand a chance
Diesel tank must have caught fire

Agree with your points

Just googled. More here. It is a pre Bangle 7

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by ajmat

No car is 100% safe
Truck had no guard railings so these guys did not stand a chance
Diesel tank must have caught fire

Agree with your points

Just googled. More here. It is a pre Bangle 7
Attachment 168024

Yes and +1 on that.

If this is the case for a BMW, rest of the cars are "Fodder for the blades"

[DKG]

I don't think the full facts of the accident are stated to pass any comment about the brand. Its very obvious the car hit the trailer at high speed and the entire roof was sheared off. As the car was stuck under the trailer obviously it would have been dragged for a distance before the trailer could come to a stop. Under the circumstances survival of the passengers is close to impossible. Also its not like the car melted to ashes. What you see is a car with a roof completely sheared off and the blazing inferno reducing all interiors to ash. Please also note that modern components are designed to disintegrate to absorb impact shocks. The engine and the suspension parts and the steering assembly to a great extent would have broken down to asbsorb the impact. Sadly the severity of the impact was too much to allow for any chance of survival.

[*VT*]

Oh! Thats unbelievable!
Have you got any bigger images?



VT

[mjothi]

I agree. I always think that if I return back safe to my home after those long drives, its becasue of the OTHER drivers who have been equally careful

To Ashes... Is something I am unable to digest. Even a full tank diesel can do such work? I am not sure.

[h@r$h@l]

The accident took place yesterday evening.
Source: TIME OF INDIA.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Ahmedabad: Four people were burnt alive in a new BMW car near Ognaj circle on Gota-Ognaj Highway on Friday evening, when they drove it straight into a huge trailer.
In a dramatic series of events, the trailer dragged the car for 500 metres, with its driver oblivious of the stuck vehicle, till it got detached. It caught fire after its doors jammed. Sarkhej police station officials said four employees of Parsoli Motors were on a test drive of a BMW when the accident took place. “The crash led to a shortcircuit in the car which caused the fire. Those in the car received severe head injuries and lost a lot of blood. The car doors then jammed as they worked on hydraulic system operated by the car battery and they could not get out,” said KM Sarode, sub-inspector of Sarkhej police station.
“It was a 16-wheel trailer and we saw the car’s front portion get right under its chassis as the car was taking a turn. We saw the car being dragged on and once it came out, there was a blast and it caught fire,” said an onlooker.

They saw it unfold in a flash



Eyewitnesses Recount Horror Of Seeing The Car Burst Into Flames


Ahmedabad: A huge ball of fire erupted on the Gota-Ognaj highway as a BMW car rammed a big trailer on Friday. The people who stay nearby could only stand and watch — agape and dumb-founded. Nothing much could be done to rescue the four who were trapped inside the car.
Eyewitnesses said that at 7.30 pm, the BMW car (HR 11 A 3773) sped up the highway and suddenly went out of control and rammed an empty trailer from behind.
Even though the impact was massive, the 16-wheeled trailer driver seemed to be quite unaware about the accident. The car got dragged along for more than 500 metres. As residents and passersby watched in awe, the car suddenly got disentangled. Before people could move to rescue the occupants, the car was in flames.
“The friction caused by the impact and short-circuit in the car’s wires could be the likely reasons behind the fire,” said additional chief fire officer MF Dastoor. A biker, Pradip Solanki, 24, a resident of Gandhinagar, who was right behind the car, lost control and fell. Solanki was later rushed to Civil Hospital in Gandhinagar.
The four victims — Yasin Shaikh, 32, Azam Khan Pathan, 23, Deepal Soni, 28 and Sharad Agare, 24 — were employees of Parsoli Motors near Thaltej Circle on SG Highway. Soni stays in Maninagar and others are residents of Shahpur.
The car, after the impact, turned into a death trap for the occupants. “We believe that the car’s central locking system malfunctioned owing to the impact. The occupants therefore got trapped inside. We had to cut the car from the sides and roof as nothing could be opened manually. The occupants were already dead by that time,” said Dastoor.
“The car driver apparently died due to the impact. His neck was found twisted in a strange manner. We believe that the driver and the person sitting beside him died immediately. There was lot of blood inside the car. Those on the rear seat had tried to get out, but the car’s doors could not be opened. Within seconds fire erupted, engulfing the car. We have sought help of forensic officers to verify why the BMW car went out of control,” said a senior police official who rushed to the accident site.

BLOW BY BLOW

Four employees of Parsoli Motors go for a ride on a BMW car from Thaltej-based showroom towards Ognaj. All were friends and knew each other
The car driver tries to take a turn from near an eye hospital when it rams a passing trailer and gets jammed in the chasis of the trailer
Car gets dragged along for around 500 m towards Gota, after which, it gets released automatically. Soonafter, it catches fire
When the local shopkeepers go nearby, the car engine develops short-circuited and it results into a small blast. The explosion results in the occupants’ death
A sub-inspector of state traffic branch witnesses the incident and informs the fire brigade
A team of AFES jawans rushes to the spot from Memnagar fire station with additional chief fire officer and brings fire under control
The bodies of the deceased are taken out after cutting the hood of the car and sides

BMW officials to conduct probe

BMW’s India office is also conducting an investigation into the matter. A senior official of BMW from Chennai is likely to reach Ahmedabad on Saturday. “After investigating the accident, he is likely to issue a press statement,” said an official of Parsoli Motors.

[Fortuner71]

Truly shocking to see a beamer in this condition.

[McLaren Rulez]

That's terrible. Just goes to show that no matter what you drive, there's always the chance that things go wrong. The doors should have opened though. If the battery dies in regular circumstances (forget accidents), does that mean the occupants are trapped for good?

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Similar thing happened with my Dad's Patient's son in law in dubai many years ago. He was driving his ferrari and lost control and jumped the divider (causing very minor damage to the car) and the car landed up on the wrong side of the road. He saw a huge truck coming at him at high speed but could not get out as for some reason the car went into a "lockdown mode". For nearly 15-20 seconds he sat helplessly as the truck came head on and rammed into him. He is now paralyzed waist down.
They successfully sued ferrari.

[Thomas8700]

another example as to why 60mph or 75mph speed limit is taken as the more sane one in the highways even in the USA.

why because. no matter what Speed kills!! leave the thrills its just plain luck that you are alive to say that it thrills.

i suspect that the airbags didnt deploy on impact. there was a case with an s class merc even that when the car hits a trailer, the roof gets sheared and the front airbag sensors are kept down on the bumper!! they dont give the ECU the go ahead and deploy the airbags message. ( roof airbags are designed to deploy if the car topples and not if the roof gets sheared off!! the side airbags and curtain airbags also go off on either side crash or toppling side ways!!)

All the airbags would have gone off BUT not at the right time of crash, just when the front goes and hit the rear axle of the trailer, the bumper senses the impact and airbags are deployed!! what use. the driver would be dead by then!!

this is why old folks tell us to slow down when there is a truck or trailer ahead of us. even if its one way, because in india you never know if he might slow down suddenly, take an unexpected turn etc. so the best way is slow down. overtake cautiously and then speed ahead. but then where is the fun in that right

and since the trailer didnt have the guard railing, the car front would have gone straight under the triailer.

the irony is that the trailer is connected to the chassis ( just front portion a simple truck, the trailer is just being pulled by this truck, in most cases the impact wouldn't pass onto the driver compartment of the trailer! no wonder he drove away. )

this happened just out of speed i for one would bet that this happened at speeds close to 160kmph!! the 2 tone car had momentum like a train and just couldn't stop or slow down in time!! ABS, TCS, ESP all would have helped but i don't think at 160kmph or close by , the driver had the reflexes to take a sudden right lane change maneuver.
ESP would have helped but the driver wasn't quick enough!

here what would have happened is he hit hit the breaks real hard and ABS just led him straight into the trailer . talk about irony!!

don't blame BMW for this would hold true for any car. all the crash tests are done at a lame 60kmph !! at double digit speeds the crash would twist or crush the chassis.

in most cases the fuel supply is cut off as safety measure , but what when the tank breaks?? boom! ,
same for the doors too. they unlock automatically but when the whole door lock mechanism is crushed, you will need machinery to cut it open!! heck even the window winding assembly would be crushed up. there goes the chance to get out through the window too!!

so in short while driving you should be controlling the car and not the other way around!!

[sudev]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Similar thing happened with my Dad's Patient's son in..........They successfully sued ferrari.

IMHO amazing stupidity to sue and win against a manufacturer in such circumstances. Even a fully loaded truck will stop in 15 seconds.

[beejay]

Technology can make things look rosy on paper. Yet in eventualities like this there is hardly anything that can be done. If a rock solid car like a beamer can end up like this, it gives me the shivers to even think of the normal cars I drive.

Rest assured this had to be doing abnormal speed.

Edit: The car was taking a turn while being hit, so it was not doing high speeds. Its confusing now.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by sudev

IMHO amazing stupidity to sue and win against a manufacturer in such circumstances. Even a fully loaded truck will stop in 15 seconds.

An 18 wheeler truck at 75mph stopping in fifiteen seconds?!! Not accounting for reaction time? Doubtful.

The whole thing was caught on traffic camera and they could see him struggle to unlock the car. There was no damage to the car when it jumped the divider which could have caused the doors to jam. The computer on the car thought someone was trying to steal the car and locked down. The engine which was running initially also shut down and wouldn't restart thus this guy couldn't even drive outta the way.
Ferrari settled outta court.

[ashthedivx]

Looks bad !!

I am not sure what had happened to any indian car. On other thought, is BMW ain't that safe or the crash was so much massive !!