An Incident of Accident

 Yesterday, while entering the office premises, my staff car met with an accident. A biker rammed into the side of the car just before it was about to enter the gate. 

My office is on the Suranjan Das Road (HAL road). To reach, when I come from my home via CV Raman Nagar, I have to take a right turn into the premises (the office is located within the premises of the DRDO lab, ADE).  My driver - retired and re-employed driver, Velayudhan - is a careful kind. He looks either side of the road, waits patiently for any traffic to clear and then takes the turn. Even if he’s turning to the left. He did the same this time too. When he turned, there was no vehicle coming towards us (from the left). As he took the turn and was moving towards the office premises, I saw a bike coming. My initial thought was he would slow down. Or, he might veer away from our vehicle and go. But, when he didn’t, I was apprehensive that he would ram into us. Just as I was thinking the bike was upon us, and it hit the car (the side I was sitting) resulting in the biker flying over the car, and sliding down and falling to the ground. The impact was huge. The passenger side door in the front was completely damaged, and the front glass lay shattered. 

My first reaction as the biker flew over the car was, he might not survive. Thankfully though - as he was wearing a helmet and also as the car had almost ground to a halt - he didn’t suffer grievous injuries. He was able to move after first-aid; he had only suffered dislocation of a joint in the arm and a few scrapes here and there. 

I still couldn’t fathom the reaction (or its complete absence) in the biker. Did he anticipate the car to move faster (and disappear in a jiffy)? Was he not paying attention to the road because of any given reason (speaking to someone on mobile, lost in thoughts, momentary brain freeze)? I do not know about my car driver, but I was completely shaken by the incident and the what if scenarios running through my head. 

One of the first things that happened after the accident was the gathering of the bystanders around the car and asking us to alight from it. Their body language was aggressive. If it weren’t for the fact that we were close to the office (and the security rushed out), the scene would have turned ugly. One could easily see their disappointment at the lost opportunity to turn an incident into a spectacle. 

The security at the road too had seen how rashly the biker was riding. The CCTV grabs also supported what I had perceived. Yet, the biker insisted that he wasn’t speeding. And doubled over by seeking compensation even though he was at fault. I preferred filing a complaint with the police and getting an FIR for the same. The lab authorities were hesitant to do so, as it would entail dragging of the case and delayed car repairs, visiting the police station and the courts several times, and so on. Everyone seeks an easy way out. That is India everyday on the roads in a nutshell. 

Have you been a part of an accident or witnessed one from close quarters? If yes, what has been your experience? Please share. Maybe with collective wisdom, we could bring in some changes.