Honking, in most cases a major annoyance, was a lifesaver for taxi driver Rakesh Gujral, who found himself trapped under the gigantic hoarding that left 16 dead in Ghatkopar on Monday. The 58-year-old resident of Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Ghatkopar East, told mid-day, “If my horn hadn’t worked that day, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you today.”
 
On that fateful evening, Gujral was at the petrol pump to refuel his taxi with CNG. After getting trapped, he immediately called his wife and sister for help, and his nephew was sent to rescue him. Despite searching frantically, the youth couldn’t locate the cabbie and asked him to honk, which helped him trace him.

Gujral, who sustained head injuries, told mid-day, “I have been a taxi driver for the past 30 years. I purchased this taxi 13 years ago on someone else’s permit. I finish work around 4 pm. Afterwards, I refill my vehicle and return home. On Monday evening, I was sitting inside my taxi at the Bharat Petroleum pump on the Eastern Express Highway in Ghatkopar East when out of nowhere it started raining heavily.