Mercedes Benz team from Hong Kong visits Cyrus Mistry’s accident spot for further investigation

Mercedes Benz has dispatched a team of technical experts from Hong Kong to India for further investigation of the car crash that killed business tycoon Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole. The three member team of experts from Hong Kong visited the accident spot near Thane, Maharashtra, on Tuesday, and will soon submit their report to Mercedes Benz India.

Palghar Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil had this to say about the experts’ visit and investigation,

A team of three experts has landed in Mumbai from Hong Kong. They will start the inspection work on Tuesday in the presence of police officer. The final report with all findings about the car accident will be submitted to the police by the car company after a couple of days. 

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Cyrus Mistry and Jehangir Pandole were in the rear seat of the Mercedes Benz GLC luxury SUV at the time of crash. Both Mr. Mistry and Jehangir Pandole were not wearing seatbelts, and this is said to have led to blunt force injuries that ended up killing both of them at the spot. The SUV was driven by Mumbai-based gynaecologist Anahita Mody Pandole, and the front passenger seat was occupied by her husband Darius Pandole – the CEO of JM Financial. Darius and Anahita Pandole were wearing seatbelts, and survived the crash. They’re now being treated in a Mumbai hospital for their injuries. All four occupants of the car were returning from the Parsi Fire Temple at Udvada, Gujarat, where they’d been to perform rituals for their departed family members.

Cyrus Mistry accident and death has put the focus on road safety. Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari has announced that rear seatbelts will soon become mandatory for passengers sitting in the rear seat, and that the government is working on a notification to bring the same into law. Mr. Gadkari has also cracked down on seat-belt alarm disabling buckles that were being sold on e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart. Going a step further, the minister has also announced that the seat-belt reminder warning chime will now become standard across all cars, even on the rear seat. So far, the seat-belt reminder warning chime was mandatory only on the front seats of the car.

While the government is trying to do its bit to make passenger safety better in India, Mr. Mistry’s crash and the unrelenting media coverage in the aftermath  has increased awareness about the need to wear seatbelts in cars. The seatbelt is the primary restraint safety system in a car, and is responsible for keeping passengers in their seats during a crash – preventing serious whiplash and the blunt force injuries such as the ones that took Mr. Mistry’s life. Airbags – supplemental restraint system – are meant to deploy only if seatbelts are worn. Therefore, it’s critical to wear seatbelts every time one steps into a car.

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