Airbag deploys in parked car, 25-year-old Mumbai man bleeds to death
Police said they will also seek a technical report from the vehicle manufacturer. The car, they said, is about 15 years old but has a valid fitness certificate
The airbag deployed with a crash, police have said. (representational image)
A 25-year-old car dealer has died in Mumbai after the airbag in the steering wheel of a parked car deployed unexpectedly and its plastic casing struck him in the neck, police have said. Police have registered an accidental death report and launched an investigation. Mohit Soni, a resident of Tiara Hills in Mira Road (East), was inspecting the car parked on the roadside on Wednesday when the incident occurred.
According to the police, a passerby noticed Soni sitting inside the vehicle with his T-shirt soaked in blood and alerted residents of the area, who then informed the police. A team from Kashimira police station rushed to the spot, pulled Soni out of the vehicle, and took him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
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Assistant Police Inspector SS Kashid said Soni suffered a deep cut on the right side of his neck after the airbag reportedly deployed suddenly, and the plastic cover flew off and struck him hard. “He appears to have lost a large amount of blood and may have become unconscious immediately. As there was no one around at the time, the bleeding proved fatal,” Kashid said.
Senior Police Inspector Rajendra Kamble said a preliminary inspection found no signs of a collision or external damage to the vehicle. “The car was stationary. There was no impact from outside. The steering wheel airbag appears to have deployed on its own, and the plastic casing hit the victim’s neck, causing a fatal injury,” he said.
A forensic team visited the spot and collected blood samples and other evidence from inside the vehicle. Police have also informed the Regional Transport Office, which is examining the vehicle’s mechanical and electrical systems to ascertain what triggered the airbag deployment.
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Police said they will also seek a technical report from the vehicle manufacturer. “We are awaiting the forensic and technical reports to establish the exact sequence of events and determine whether a mechanical or electrical defect caused the airbag to deploy,” an investigating officer said.
Investigators said the car is about 15 years old, but reportedly has a valid fitness certificate.
The airbag deployed with a crash, police have said. (representational image) 
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