[harsh.m06]

My dad went to attend a wedding function of a close friend on the night of 19th April 2016. Having a tiring day and feeling lazy to take out Vento which was parked inside, he decided to take the old Getz which was parked outside. After an hour, I received a call from him that Getz is causing some problem and he asked me to come to the wedding venue with Vento.

Without any thought, I rushed to the venue and reached within 10-15mins. Parked the car and saw this dreadful sight -



Its a 2005 Model Getz GL. The front of the car had burned down.

I asked dad what happened. He told me someone mishandled a full crate of firecrackers and pushed it near the front left end of the car. The cylindrical cardboard pieces of the crackers were smoking below the bumper.

Upon enquiry I came to know that the security guard from the near by hotel saw some smoke and immediately came with a fire extinguisher. Luckily he reached on time and immediately the fire was under control but had already caused immense damage. He said that the front end of the car was in Flames when he reached.














Security Guard pointing at the remains of the crackers


Melted parts from the front bumper area


Cracked windshield



All the white material on the car is the remains of the chemicals that came out from the fire extinguisher.




One can easily spot the remains of the crackers that looks like they were intentionally put there.

Enquired from the bystanders, this was someone's mischief. Could be a group of drunk men playing around with the leftover crackers and might have accidentally pushed it near my car. No CCTV nearby, or else the matter would have been solved within a few minutes.

The car is trashed. Moreover, since this car was hardly used anytime, it had a 3rd party insurance. We were about to sell it but somehow it got delayed.

The guard washed the car as it was still smoking from some areas and we left it there overnight.











Mini Crane type tow truck had to be used and the car was towed back home.


Car came home the next morning


Engine seems like completely trashed but the Fuel hasn't leaked. The fuel gauge shows more than half tank full of fuel.

Any suggestion what should be done now?

We have talked to a junkyard person who might buy it. He came to see the car today. We will get a quote soon about the value as per junkyard.

Not much worried about the car as it wasn't going to return any major resale value. Hardly 80-90,000 if it were in a good condition.

Now, we need a new car. Test drove a few new vehicles and narrowed down to Creta and Vitara Brezza. Have booked the Red & Black Dual Tone shade of Brezza for now but I'll also look forward to BRV when it launches. Till then, Vento is performing all the duties.

[createrkid]

Oh man i feel for you! I have a Getz 2005 too which I use as my daily ride. Since you said firecrackers caused this and your dad happened to go to a wedding, I suggest you find out from the organizers of the wedding whether or not any firecrackers were used, if they were, find out who handled them, who gave them out etc and investigate further if you really want to find the culprit. Glad nobody was hurt but look on the bright side ,you booked a Brezza and that too my favorite color

[harsh.m06]

Originally Posted by createrkid

find out from the organizers of the wedding whether or not any firecrackers were used, if they were, find out who handled them, who gave them out etc and investigate further if you really want to find the culprit. Glad nobody was hurt but look on the bright side ,you booked a Brezza and that too my favorite color

Yes, fortunately no one got hurt and thats what matters the most. Nothing is more valuable than a human life.

We enquired about it but no one is coming forward. The organizer says that he didnt fire up any crackers near the parking but we know he is not telling the truth. Lets see how it goes. Till then I am waiting for a call from Maruti's showroom

[landcruiser123]

Brings tears to my eyes when I see this. Damn some people.

I can't imagine why any person would burn down a car like this. Did you file a police complaint? Weren't there any other eye-witnesses?


Thank god no person was hurt.

[harsh.m06]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I can't imagine why any person would burn down a car like this. Did you file a police complaint? Weren't there any other eye-witnesses?

Same here, dad was shocked to see why someone would do this. He filed a complaint straightaway. There weren't any eye-witnesses as everyone came around when they saw heavy smoke from the car. Some CCTVs around the parking might have solved the issue but unfortunately there weren't any.

[Skyline_GT]

From the initial pictures and the title i thought it was a freak fire accident. Only when i read through did i realized how severe the incident was. No adult or child with a sane mind would be so careless to light crackers close to a car. Even kids have the basic sense to not burst firecrackers near vehicles. Looks more like a deliberate attempt. Too bad there weren't any CCTV's around that could nail the culprits. There are always such antisocial people who get away with scratching the car, deflating the tyres and breaking the car windows but burning the whole car down is a crime on a completely different level!
If possible try contacting the higher authorities if you know any so that your case gets some more attention. Usually such crimes are mostly committed by known miscreants from the vicinity (history sheeters). A little deeper investigation in and around the locality where your car was burnt down could give some tip off about the culprits.

[redcruiser]

Any idea how one should deal with insurance people in such a case?
This could happen to anyone and anywhere be it during the strikes or some natural calamities.

Please comment on How to pursue such cases with insurance agents?

[GTO]

Saddened to see your car in such a state, but as you rightly said, good thing that no one was hurt .

Reminds me of the time Dad mistakenly blew up an uncle's Ambassador at a Diwali party. Was a mistake, am sure this was too.

Originally Posted by harsh.m06

The car is trashed. Moreover, since this car was hardly used anytime, it had a 3rd party insurance. We were about to sell it but somehow it got delayed.

Damn difficult to get comprehensive coverage for 10+ year old cars. Even if you'd managed to, the payout would be pitiful. They'd write it off as a total loss and you'd get barely anything for it. Your loss isn't all that much.

Originally Posted by redcruiser

Any idea how one should deal with insurance people in such a case?

If you have comprehensive insurance, the claim procedure would be a standard one.

[harsh.m06]

Originally Posted by Skyline_GT

If possible try contacting the higher authorities if you know any so that your case gets some more attention. Usually such crimes are mostly committed by known miscreants from the vicinity (history sheeters). A little deeper investigation in and around the locality where your car was burnt down could give some tip off about the culprits.

Investigation is going on. Not sure if the local police authority is interested. They say the car also might be at fault. I can't argue with them about it. Lets see how it goes.