A Matter of Seconds
I am a Security Management Professional, working for an Integrated Total Security Solutions Company with its Head Office in New Delhi, India. We have a large No. of clients in the manufacturing as well as Service Sectors, who we provide our security services. It is usual for us to visit them periodically to get a feedback on the services.
It was 06 Sep 05. I embarked on the Sales and Operations visit of some of my clients
I was on my way from Noida to Secunderabad in UP. Greater Noida falls enroute. Therein we (Col MM Wadera, our ARM was accompanying me), visited Stellar Gymkhana Club, one of our clients.
From thereon, it was direct to Secunderabad. Somehow it occurred to me that we should also visit Delhi Public School (DPS) Greater Noida, another of our clients. Col Wadera did not seem to be too keen, nevertheless had no major observations.
Visit to DPS was uneventful. Having given moral lecture and motivational cues to the security staff, as also assuring the client of the tight security, we commenced our journey to Secunderabad.
Then there was this fateful road crossing. The township of Greater Noida is under development and it is usual for heavy vehicles to be plying at great speeds on the roads that have been well planned and wide & smooth enough to tempt the drivers to press the gas. Of course oblivious of this fact, I was driving on the open road, as if the road was least used and that I did not really have to take caution.
At the crossing, I slowed the car and got into discussion with Col Wadera, ‘whether to go straight or turn right’. As such it did not occur me to look to the left and right at the crossing.
Suddenly, Col Wadera invited my attention to the left. To my horror, I saw a massive 10 Ton Tipper loaded with mud heading for the crossing, well not more than a two seconds away. It was too late for me to react. In the left over timeframe, I had visualised the whole accident and lived though it.
The Tipper and the self had applied brakes. The front right of the tipper and the front left of the car that I was driving collided. The front of the Tipper pushed the car such that with the small impact, the car turned 90 degrees to the right, hit its diesel tank, which started leaking, and the rear wheel embedded lightly into the front left door.
We yelled at the driver to stop, and the car and the tipper came to a dead stop. I was totally unscathed, rushed out, asked Col Wadera whether he was hurt. He had a small concussion on the head, that he did not notice then, and he too came rushing out of the car.
At that time I had not realised the seriousness of the accident, and wondered when I shall disentangle the car from the Tipper, straighten it out and recommence my journey to Secunderabad.
This followed a series of formalities, like intimate the Police, intimate the Company (Our Employer), inform the Insurance people, get a photographer to snap the accident, ring up the workshop as well as the recovery vehicle for assistance.
A couple of minutes, the owner of the Tipper, Police, staff from our Company and many a bystanders gathered. As expected many a people made their assessment having seen the site from various angles.
All were of the unanimous opinion that it was no less than our good fortune and providence that none of the occupants were injured.
Listening to the comments of all that had gathered and flashing of the events in my mind a No of times had me rethink the entire event in fresh light.
It was a forgone conclusion that I could not recommence my journey to Secunderabad, least of all in the afflicted car.
What really produces shiverbumps down my spine everytime the incident flashes in mind is that " had my car collided with the Tipper a second early, the front of the same would have driven over my car, and a second late, the bonnet and the driver's seat area would have driven under the Tipper in the middle and its rear axle would have run over the car". Either way the occupants as well as car would in all probability have been damaged beyond repair.
Is'nt the Lord Almighty omnipresent and omniscient?
It was 06 Sep 05. I embarked on the Sales and Operations visit of some of my clients
I was on my way from Noida to Secunderabad in UP. Greater Noida falls enroute. Therein we (Col MM Wadera, our ARM was accompanying me), visited Stellar Gymkhana Club, one of our clients.
From thereon, it was direct to Secunderabad. Somehow it occurred to me that we should also visit Delhi Public School (DPS) Greater Noida, another of our clients. Col Wadera did not seem to be too keen, nevertheless had no major observations.
Visit to DPS was uneventful. Having given moral lecture and motivational cues to the security staff, as also assuring the client of the tight security, we commenced our journey to Secunderabad.
Then there was this fateful road crossing. The township of Greater Noida is under development and it is usual for heavy vehicles to be plying at great speeds on the roads that have been well planned and wide & smooth enough to tempt the drivers to press the gas. Of course oblivious of this fact, I was driving on the open road, as if the road was least used and that I did not really have to take caution.
At the crossing, I slowed the car and got into discussion with Col Wadera, ‘whether to go straight or turn right’. As such it did not occur me to look to the left and right at the crossing.
Suddenly, Col Wadera invited my attention to the left. To my horror, I saw a massive 10 Ton Tipper loaded with mud heading for the crossing, well not more than a two seconds away. It was too late for me to react. In the left over timeframe, I had visualised the whole accident and lived though it.
The Tipper and the self had applied brakes. The front right of the tipper and the front left of the car that I was driving collided. The front of the Tipper pushed the car such that with the small impact, the car turned 90 degrees to the right, hit its diesel tank, which started leaking, and the rear wheel embedded lightly into the front left door.
We yelled at the driver to stop, and the car and the tipper came to a dead stop. I was totally unscathed, rushed out, asked Col Wadera whether he was hurt. He had a small concussion on the head, that he did not notice then, and he too came rushing out of the car.
At that time I had not realised the seriousness of the accident, and wondered when I shall disentangle the car from the Tipper, straighten it out and recommence my journey to Secunderabad.
This followed a series of formalities, like intimate the Police, intimate the Company (Our Employer), inform the Insurance people, get a photographer to snap the accident, ring up the workshop as well as the recovery vehicle for assistance.
A couple of minutes, the owner of the Tipper, Police, staff from our Company and many a bystanders gathered. As expected many a people made their assessment having seen the site from various angles.
All were of the unanimous opinion that it was no less than our good fortune and providence that none of the occupants were injured.
Listening to the comments of all that had gathered and flashing of the events in my mind a No of times had me rethink the entire event in fresh light.
It was a forgone conclusion that I could not recommence my journey to Secunderabad, least of all in the afflicted car.
What really produces shiverbumps down my spine everytime the incident flashes in mind is that " had my car collided with the Tipper a second early, the front of the same would have driven over my car, and a second late, the bonnet and the driver's seat area would have driven under the Tipper in the middle and its rear axle would have run over the car". Either way the occupants as well as car would in all probability have been damaged beyond repair.
Is'nt the Lord Almighty omnipresent and omniscient?
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