Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry and a co-passenger killed in a car crash were not wearing seat belts, according to a preliminary investigation. The probe also found that over-speeding and the “error of judgement” by the driver caused the accident.
The Mercedes vehicle covered a distance of 20 km in just nine minutes after crossing the Charoti check post in Maharashtra's Palghar district, 120 km away from Mumbai, a police official told news agency ANI. The car hit a road divider on a bridge over the Surya river, killing Mistry, 54, and Jahangir Pandole on the spot.
The incident once again brought back the discussion over the importance of wearing a seat belt while travelling in a vehicle. Despite recent safety features, seat belts are still the most effective injury-prevention devices in vehicles.
Electric vehicles EKA managing director Sudhir Mehta on Monday released a video showing the importance of seat beats even for travelling passengers.
Taking to Twitter, Mehta wrote, "We were once again morbidly reminded how #seatbelts save lives..front or rear seat, it is paramount for all passengers to wear them. As a seat manufacturer we know the ramifications..its been proved multiple times that #SeatBelts are the principal difference between life & death."
“This #Ganpati let us all take a pledge to ensure the safety of our loved ones. From all passengers wearing seat belts, to securing kids in a car seat, to both rider & pillion wearing a helmets..let us protect ourselves and our future,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“This #Ganpati let us all take a pledge to ensure the safety of our loved ones. From all passengers wearing seat belts, to securing kids in a car seat, to both rider & pillion wearing a helmets..let us protect ourselves and our future,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Mistry was returning to Mumbai from Ahmedabad when the tragedy struck at 2.30pm.
Also Read | Cyrus Mistry was not wearing seat belt; car covered 20km in 9 minutes: Police
The car was driven by Mumbai-based gynaecologist Anahita Pandole, 55. She and her Darius Pandole, 60, were seriously injured in the accident.
"While analysing the footage captured by CCTV cameras at the Charoti check post, Palghar police found the car had crossed the check post at 2.21 pm and the accident took place 20 km ahead (in the direction of Mumbai)," the police said.
An eye-witness had said a woman was driving the car and tried to overtake another vehicle from the left side, but lost control and crashed into the road divider, reported ANI. The bodies of Mistry and Jahangir Pandole were sent to the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai for postmortem. Jahangir Pandole was the brother of Darius Pandole, a former independent director of the Tata Group of companies.
The accident has reignited concerns about the poor state of India’s roads, identified by the World Bank as the world’s deadliest.
Images circulating on social media showed skid-marks of a Mercedes veering off the road just next to a pothole. Airbags in the rear didn’t inflate.
While India has built the world’s second-biggest road network spanning 5.89 million kilometres, its highways are often marred by shoddy construction and poor maintenance.
(With inputs from agencies)