Renault Duster Crashes Into Bharat Benz Dumper Truck, Family Gets Dragged Along: Live Footage

Blind Spots, if you ask us, is an underrated criminal when it comes to road accidents. Over the years, we have seen several crashes occur due to blind spots, and the risks they carry. In a recent incident, these together with driver negligence and distracted driving led to a horrific crash and a close call for a family in Karnataka. The Renault Duster they were travelling in crashed into a dumper truck and the occupants got almost crushed in the mishap.  Dash camera footage from the vehicle in front of them shows details of the crash.

A video shared on the Youtube channel ‘Prateek Singh‘ shows a Bharat Benz dumper truck and Renault Duster moving on two different lanes of a 6-lane highway. The crash occurred near the Chitradurga bypass in Karnataka. Both vehicles were going towards Bengaluru. The Duster was on the slow (left) lane and the truck on the middle lane. To note here is that the SUV was driving quite slow for a highway. It’s fine, considering the fact that he is doing the left lane.

The Duster driver, however, was distracted and we soon get to see the SUV making a soft, unprecedented lane change. This happens near a curve and the driver seems to be unaware of the same. He makes no effort to make a correction and go back to the left lane.

The truck, which was driving parallel to the Duster doesn’t seem to notice it incoming. Its driver cannot be blamed for this, as the SUV is in his blind spot and it is impossible for him to see unless he keeps a close watch on the left convex mirror.

The dumper truck tries to slow down the moment it sees the Duster shifting lanes. But it is too late by then and its bumper rubs against the rear of the Duster. This makes the SUV lose balance and turn to the right. In the blink of an eye, the truck gave it a side impact before the Duster hit the median.

To keep things under control, the truck driver slammed the brakes and flicked the wheel hard to make a left turn and finally come to a halt. In the process, it dragged the Duster a couple of meters, and narrowly avoided thrashing it against a wall nearby. It was a close call for the Duster passengers- a man, his wife and son. Though the incident sounds horrible, the Duster’s bodyshell remained strong and kept the occupants safe. They took no injuries and were just a little ‘shaken’ by the incident.

There are two key factors that reduced the impact and gravity of this crash. One, both vehicles were not overspeeding. A high-speed scenario would have made things worse. Two, the timely reaction of the truck driver. The way he slammed brakes and steered the vehicle to avoid the SUV getting crushed also made things smoother.

The Duster, back in its day, was known for its sturdy build and crashworthiness. It felt solid and saved people in several crashes that we’ve seen over time. The latest generation has scored a 3-star safety rating in the EURO NCAP crash tests. The French manufacturer is expected to launch the new generation Duster here, in the forthcoming time. A test mule was recently spotted in Kerala, with a LIDAR mounted on top, confirming the presence of ADAS on the upcoming SUV.