In order to find out if there were any technical glitches in the Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV, the vehicle in which the late ex-chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry was travelling, a team of experts from Hong Kong will be arriving on Monday, to inspect the car.
Meanwhile, the Palghar Police, who are currently handling the case, said that they have been trying to coordinate with the hospital where the two survivors of the car crash – Dr Anahita Pandole and Darius Pandole are recovering – in order to record their statements.
Confirming this, superintendent of police (SP, Palghar) Balasaheb Patil said, “We will wait for the team of Hong Kong to issue their probe about the vehicle. They will arrive on Monday at Thane for inspection. Once that is done, based on their report, we will move forward in the case.”
He also added that the report from Mercedes-Benz will also help them understand if the car had any break-fail issues or other disagreements that may have caused the crash.
Earlier, Mercedes had submitted its preliminary report to the Palghar police where they stated that the car was at 100 kmph, barely five seconds before it collided. At the time of the collision, the speed had come down to 89 kmph, probably due to the application of brakes. The police also confirmed that at the time of the accident, the vehicle was speeding.
Meanwhile, about the two survivors, Patil added, “We have been contacting the hospital authorities every day to get updates on their condition. As of now, they are saying that the two are not in a condition to speak and be part of the investigation. We will record their statements as soon as they recover well enough to talk.”
In this fatal accident, along with Mistry, Dr Anahita’s husband Jehangir Pandole lost his life. All four, at that time, were on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway, heading back to Mumbai from Surat. The investigation revealed that the rear seat occupants were not wearing seat belts.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Police and State Transport Department also revealed that the bridge that they were crossing at Palghar had a faulty design, which is also one of the prominent causes of this accident.
