Cooperating With Authorities Probing Cyrus Mistry Car Crash: Mercedes-Benz

Cyrus Mistry, former chairman, Tata Sons.

(Photo Courtesy: BloombergQuint/Altered by The Quint)

Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz India on Tuesday, 7 September, said it is cooperating with the authorities investigating the car crash that led to the death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry.

Mistry (54) and his friend Jahangir Pandole were killed on Sunday afternoon when their Mercedes GLC 220d 4MATIC car hit a road divider in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Two other car occupants -- Anahita Pandole (55), who was at the wheel, and her husband Darius Pandole (60) -- suffered injuries and are admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai.

Mistry was cremated on Tuesday. The last rites were performed in an electric crematorium at Worli in central Mumbai.

"As a responsible brand respecting customer privacy, our team is cooperating with the authorities where possible, and we will provide any clarifications to them directly as required," the automaker said in a statement.

The German auto major noted that it would continue ongoing efforts to increase road safety awareness as a responsible manufacturer while equipping its vehicles with the latest safety features and technologies.

"We are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Cyrus Mistry and Jehangir Pandole in the unfortunate road accident. At the same time we are glad to learn that Anahita Pandole and Darius Pandole are recovering. We wish them a speedy recovery," it noted.

Mercedes Team Visits Accident Site

Earlier in the day, a team from the company collected the vehicle's data which will be decrypted for further analysis.

There will also be an investigation into other details like the car's tyre pressure and brake fluid level to ascertain the cause of the accident, Inspector General of Police, Konkan range, Sanjay Mohite told PTI.

The ill-fated vehicle was 2017 GLC 220d 4MATIC, which is equipped with seven airbags overall. The latest version of the all-wheel drive model comes with a price tag upwards of Rs 68 lakh.

It has a 'pre-safe system' where the front seat belts can be electrically pretensioned in hazardous situations. As per Mercedes-Benz India website, the GLC's pre-safe system reduces the forward displacement of the occupants during braking or skidding in an impending accident The fatal accident took place on the Surya river bridge when the four persons were on their way to Mumbai from Gujarat.

The deceased were not wearing seat belts as per a preliminary probe, a police official earlier said, adding that over-speeding and an "error of judgement" by the driver caused the accident.

Prima facie, the luxury car was speeding when the accident took place, the official had said.