Auto rickshaw hits mother-son duo on a bike from behind, driver flees

This is becoming a common problem in Bangalore where auto rickshaw drivers have no regard whatsoever for the safety of their passengers and other motorists on the road.

BHPian I4_Pistoneer recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Honda SP 125 is currently in its 6th month of ownership and it comes with a bittersweet update.

On the 2nd of May 2024, I met with an accident while riding my motorcycle. The accident took place on the Kanakapura main road at one of the busy junctions.

What happened was, when I tried to slowly make a U-Turn at a green light, a speeding and rashly driven auto, from the opposite end, had complete disregard for his own end of the signal and directly crashed into me from the rear-left side. The impact was quite bad. Just as I was making the turn, I somehow felt that something was wrong and so, going by this gut feeling, I veered sharply to the right and that was a life-saving decision.

The auto hit the crash guard bar of the bike on the left, which absorbed most of the impact, and protected my right foot by supporting the bike such that my right leg didn't get crushed after the bike fell. Since I was riding with my mom as a pillion, the first thought that popped to mind was to immediately look out for her in that heightened state of affairs, where I didn't notice my own profusely bleeding left foot whose one end had been torn open by a screw on the bike. Thankfully, both of us were wearing helmets that indeed, saved my mom.

Luckily, the hospital was nearby, just across the road and I was immediately taken in for first aid. The next day I had surgery where I had to get 15 stitches to repair my left foot, and subsequent bandaging for another two weeks, after which the stitches were removed and I slowly regained my ability to walk. As for my mother, she had a few scratches on her hands and feet and nothing else, and I was immensely glad that no significant harm came to her on that fateful day.

The public was immensely helpful in picking us up from the road, providing water and tending to us, one person even tied his own handkerchief to the torn part of my foot, without any regard for the blood that got on his hands. I cannot thank the people enough for the care that they provided in the time of need, very grateful to them indeed!

As for the auto driver, he fled the scene, but someone was able to get the reg no. of the auto, which we later handed to the traffic police who came to gather the details, but we ourselves didn't pursue the case further since I was in no position to move around for the case and we were advised that such cases are indeed futile to pursue, since the driver of the auto, most of the times does not own the auto, and hence, it becomes a tedious process to book them, even though they are clearly in the wrong.

This is becoming a common problem in Bangalore where auto drivers have no regard whatsoever for the safety of their passengers and other motorists on the road.

The crash guard of the bike was a godsend in this incident which helped absorb most of the impact and saved my other leg from a potential fracture. It also played a vital role in minimizing damage to the bike itself.

Special mention to my Local Honda Dealer in RR Nagar, whom I bought the bike from, for their excellent service, all the damaged parts were replaced and properly calibrated, so the bike is as good as new now. One slight issue that cropped up was that the handlebar is slightly out of alignment and has veered a bit to the right, but that is something that can be easily addressed.

Now, after a month, I am pleased to report that I'm back to riding after a brief break, and it is one of the most rewarding feelings ever to get back to riding, especially after such an accident.

And so, to my fellow motorcyclists, I cannot urge you enough to get a crash guard installed on your new bike. Please don't refrain from getting it installed due to aesthetic reasons, it really helps. The second and most important point, always wear a helmet, even if it is a short ride, the helmet is what saved my mother from getting any serious head injuries.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe ride!

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