Colaba man Subhash Motwani back on the roads after horrific crash with skidding bike; he had a broken right wrist, stitches on his chin, cuts and stitches inside his mouth, bruises on the head and stitches on both legs below his knees
Subhash Motwani showing the accident spot (right) Subhash Motwani in hospital. Pic/Atul Kamble
Four months after a September 21 accident left him with a broken right wrist, stitches on his chin, cuts and stitches inside his mouth, bruises on the head and stitches on both legs below his knees, runner Subhash Motwani is all set to run the half-marathon (21.097 km) at the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) on Sunday, January 19.
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Horrific crash
Motwani suffered an accident on September 21, 2024. He recalled, “I was on my regular practice run on Saturday morning, 7.30 am. I was running along the Marine Drive, where there is a short patch alongside the Coastal Road arch heading towards Bandra. Like any responsible runner, I usually run on the footpath. However, there was a short patch that I was running on the edge of the road in the direction where one can see the vehicles approaching. There was a bike which was approaching at regular speed, with a rider and pillion. There was some residue gravel and the road patch did not look as if it had been surfaced. The gravel and non-surfaced road resulted in the bike skidding. Both rider and pillion fell off. while the bike, without anyone on it, was in motion, and it came skidding towards me. I was running at a brisk pace. I fell with my whole body weight on my wrist.”
Disoriented
Motwani, a Colaba resident said, “Everything happened so fast, I had no time to think. I remember a bike came in skidding in front of me. I temporarily lost consciousness. I recall runners Sunil Shahani and Mitren Thakkar, who were running close by calling out my name. They put me in a car to take me to the hospital.”
Subhash Motwani showing the accident spot. Pic/Atul Kamble
Shahani said, “The bike rider looked very young. He lost control and his balance. I was running just behind and saw the bike come straight at Subhash. He fell down on his head. I think he was totally disoriented. He did not know what was happening.”
Thakkar added, “Subhash was about 50m ahead of me. I suddenly saw a bike skidding and hitting Subhash on the leg. He fell down and a part of his body went underneath a car that braked at the right time. Subhash had no clue what had happened or who he was. The bike rider seemed inexperienced. He was also riding quite fast.”
Motwani said, “There are always good Samaritans at times of calamity and a couple of runners came to my rescue. To my good fortune, there was also Dr Ashish Contractor from HN Reliance Hospital, who was running at the same time and he ensured that on my arrival at the hospital, I was promptly attended to. This epitomises the true spirit of Mumbai's running community, where we all support each other.”
Risky stretch
Motwani said the stretch still has gravel and its surface contributed to the skidding. Thakkar claimed there is “less traction” on the road. Another runner, Vikas Kabra said, “This stretch is skid prone. It is time the authorities look towards repairing and surfacing.” Motwani added, “The roads and sidewalks are high risk for pedestrians and runners due to encroachments, uneven surfaces and badly repaired patches, which unfortunately are only attended to when any VIP is visiting.”
Subhash Motwani battling the pain of a broken wrist
Motwani who is a travel professional added, “Besides the physical and mental trauma caused by the accident, I faced financial losses. Firstly, I had to cancel my Berlin Marathon run, where I was slated to run the full marathon in Germany on September 29. I had been training so hard for it, and it was particularly agonising as it was the 50th edition of the Berlin Marathon, a landmark run and event. My hospital charges and all medical bills including treatment/physio crossed over R1 lakh.”
Comeback
At the end of what has been a very rough three months, the doughty, determined Motwani summed up, “I believe in the adage: ‘Tough times don’t last but tough people do’. In just over three months after the accident, I was back on my feet, training for the Mumbai Half Marathon. I am at my 90 per cent fitness level, as my wrist is on its way to recovery. I am also a bit heavier physically, as I can do limited exercises and had limited training too.” Sunday will be a showpiece for an inspiring comeback, proving that the enduring allure of distance races — like a marathon, goes much beyond timings, the finish line or a race. They are a window to the human spirit that shines as bright as the Mumbai sun which will climb high into the sky as dawn breaks on Sunday.
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