When fate saves...

Have you ever experienced this? Sometimes a thought strikes from nowhere, and your mind unconsciously follows it, without asking- why? You act instantly, least bothered to think deeper and being absolutely unaware that you are actually being taken away from a nemesis.

It happened with me this weekend. With nothing major to do and an official tour coming up for my brother, my family decided to spend the weekend with my uncle in Thane. Saturday passed faster than I anticipated and spending half of our day in Nirmal Lifestyle- Mulund, we (my parents and I) started back to Pune, leaving my brother behind to finish his official work and return the next day.

It was when we hit the Mumbai-Pune expressway that my father suggested we take the older highway. I was excited, I’d never been through it and was told its at its best in monsoon. I took the Khopoli exit and started on the older highway. With lush greenery all around, we enjoyed the smooth climb on Khandala ghat.

A wrong turn led us back on the expressway. I thought to continue the rest of my journey on the expressway, as the exciting ghat was over and we could reach home faster. I paid no heed to the Khandala exit and continued on the expressway, driving my Santro at around 100 kms an hour. It was now that a thought came to my mind- driving on the extreme right lane, I saw a board which said- “Lonavala Exit- 500 m ahead”, I told my father- “Let’s take the exit and continue on the older one, why pay another toll?” About 150 – 200 meters prior to the exit, I cut my speed and started cutting the lanes to get to the left exit lane.

While Lonavala exit was at a stone’s throw, I suddenly saw a Honda City- skidding across the highway it made a complete 360 degree horizontal turn, cutting lanes from left to right and finally hitting hard on the back on the road divider. All this happened barely 60 - 80 metres from where I was, and no vehicle between my Santro and the battered Honda City. Thankfully, there was no other vehicle in vicinity in the 2 right lanes, and accident wasn’t fatal. The driver was the lone traveler in that car, and he seemed safe- absolutely bewildered though.

What could have possibly happened is (out of what I observed there)- the driver of Honda City was about to take the Lonavala exit, but changed his mind at the eleventh hour to remain on the expressway. A Tempo Trax (or something similar) that was driving in the extreme left lane could have unintentionally pushed the Honda City, being unaware that it may continue on the expressway. A slight push on the back at around 80 – 90 kmph matters a lot. Thankfully Honda City wasn’t fast enough to get itself tumbled on the road.

Made me think- what would have happened had I not thought of getting off the expressway to hit the older highway? Being in the extreme right lane, and driving at approximately 100 kms an hour, I could have either rammed the skidding car at 90 degrees, or maybe the car skid could have rammed my car into the road divider- losses not to be estimated. At the end of all this- I was happy my parents and I (also my car :-)) were safe.

Whatever made me get off the expressway, definitely saved me from losses. But what is it? Call it my fate or my good luck? I believe there are certain things which cannot be proven, why they happen- cannot be explained. But at times it definitely makes you appreciate what the situation presently is, as it is much better than what it could’ve been.