Kia Sonet Falls 30 Feet Off Highway In Fog, Saves Family
Kia Sonet is a popular choice among sub-four-meter SUV buyers. With its smart packaging and compelling pricing, it continues to sell well. It comes with a host of safety features and was previously crash-tested by Global NCAP. It scored three stars in adult safety and two in child safety. Not having full five-star ratings doesn’t mean that the Sonet is an unsafe car. A recent incident from the Delhi-Mumbai expressway shows just the same. A 2024 Sonet fell off the expressway, into a dry riverbed. It got totaled, but kept all its occupants safe! The owner later took to Reddit, explaining the incident...
This incident was shared by a user who goes by the name ‘diabolicalwit’ on Reddit. He starts by saying that he had bought the car, a 2024 model Sonet HTK Plus, three days before the accident. It was his first car, which he likely sourced from the used car market. He says that he bought it with all his savings, and it was indeed a big deal for him.
He was travelling with his family, from Delhi to Mumbai when the accident occurred. They were travelling through the Delhi–Vadodara–Mumbai expressway. As they reached Ratlam, it suddenly got foggy. The car was then doing a speed of 90 kph (the speed limit on this expressway is 120 kph). As it got foggy, he tried to slow the car down. He says that the road ended before he could slow the vehicle down to safe(r) speeds.
This stretch of the expressway had no steel barrier or railing. The Sonet thus went off-road and ran into a concrete block at the end of a bridge nearby. The impact threw the car over the edge, making it plunge 40 ft down, into a dry river bed. The car took heavy damage in the accident.
The Redditer recollects hearing a loud noise and the airbags bursting open loudly. Everything, he says, went blank for a second. Back in his senses, he saw everyone in the vehicle alive and breathing- quite ‘unbelievable’ considering the gravity of the crash. His mom was bleeding from her shoulder and face. The Redditor and his dad remained in shock, and his sister was crying out loud. All of them made it out of the crash alive.
Locals from the place soon showed up with help, and the victims were soon given proper medical attention. The redditer was told by the people from the place that accidents like this are becoming increasingly common here, and at least nine people have already lost their lives there.
The absence of proper warning boards, markings, or lights/ reflectors seems to be causing these mishaps. Authorities should also build safety barriers and railings in vulnerable areas of expressways like this.
Even though it kept the occupants safe, the Sonet, in this case, was totaled in the crash. Its roof, front fascia, and rear were heavily damaged. The pillars, however, seem to be in good shape.
This Sonet is underpinned by Hyundai-Kia’s K1 platform. A reinforced version of this is used on the Syros which has a five-star Bharat NCAP rating. The vehicle in this case, was later recovered with a crane and moved to a nearby Kia service center.
This Sonet owner further says that the vehicle has full comprehensive insurance coverage. He has opted for complete insurance, return-to-invoice,and a zero-depreciation add-on. The insurance company should ideally pay him for his losses.
In a previous incident, we saw a Mahindra XUV700 crashing and getting stuck on the concrete side barrier of a flyover on the Ranchi Ring Road. The driver here allegedly failed to notice the concrete block, due to limited lighting and a lack of effective warning boards and markings.
Both these incidents are glaring examples which show just how important it is to have proper warning boards, markings and light on expressways, to ensure the safety of commuters.