The driver of the Proton was reportedly killed at the scene of the crash.
A Proton Inspira and its driver met an untimely and gruesome end at the hands of a highway gantry sign yesterday (22nd November, Sunday). This unfortunate incident occurred on Persiaran Tujuan, Subang Jaya.
From the pictures obtained about this accident, the accident looks to have occurred at high speed, as inferred by the severity of the damage inflicted on the red Inspira. The central B-pillar has been pushed in nearly towards the centre of the car, folding both right doors into the passenger cell, with most of the damage concentrated to where the driver was.
Severe damage can also be seen to the roof, which has crumpled as a result of this incident. All the glass too has been shattered on the Inspira. In fact, the entire frame of the car has been bent slightly. Thereby further signifying the tremendous force of impact.
There has been no official word thus far on the exact cause of this horrific accident. Taking a closer look at pictures shared of this incident however, this does appear to be one of those crashes where the exact cause isn’t immediately clear.
Considering that the road itself is a sweeping right hand corner up a slight incline. It is therefore a reasonable question to ask as to how exactly had the Inspira managed to hit the thick metal pole on the driver’s side? The most probable cause of this accident is that driver was powering up the hill, before losing control before the corner and thereby skidded right into gantry. Even this theory however does admittedly have some flaws, especially due to the lack of skid marks on the road.
The lack of skid marks could perhaps however point to the Inspira aquaplaning before colliding with the gantry. As while it was dry when these pictures were taken, the roads and the surrounding brick pavement look to still have an indication of dampness. Therefore indicating that perhaps the damp road conditions during this rainy season could have also attributed to the cause of this crash.
An unfortunate mechanical issue with the car could too be the cause of these issues. Eagle-eyed readers might have picked up on the twin airbags, that are standard on the Inspira, look to have not been deployed. Then again, this can be explained by the lack of frontal damage that usually trigger these airbags.
Continuing on the safety aspect, it is worth noting that the Proton Inspira is a reasonably safe car to begin with. The Mitsubishi Lancer on which it is based scored a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating after all. That said, a collision with a sturdy metal pole like that on the gantry would be enough to crumple even the toughest of cars on the road today, especially when taking into account the probable high speed that the Inspira was travelling moments before the incident occurred.
It therefore serves as a reminder to perhaps take it easier when out on the open road, especially during the current rainy season. No matter how the sweeping open road ahead tempts one.
