Bike skids, one dead on Signature Bridge
SECOND IN TWO DAYS Saturday’s mishap took place opposite the spot where two men were killed a day before on the bridge
NEWDELHI: A 24-year-old man was killed and his cousin was injured, when the motorcycle they were riding on skid on an elevated approach road to the newlyopened Signature Bridge in north Delhi’s Timarpur on Saturday morning — the second fatal crash involving motorcycle riders in the last two days.
The spot where Saturday’s accident took place is opposite the bridge’s loop road towards Majnu Ka Tilla, where on Friday two men — Satyavijay Shankaram, a doctor at Hindu Rao Hospital and his friend Chander Shekhar Sharma, a medical student — were killed in a late-night accident.
No CCTV cameras have been installed on the Signature Bridge or its approach roads since it opened three weeks ago.
Police said they have not found any eyewitnesses who could tell them the exact sequence of events which led to both the accidents.
Additional deputy commissioner of police, Jasmeet Singh, identified the deceased as one Shankar and the injured as his relative Deepak Kumar Ojha, 17.
Ojha has told the police that the motorcycle they were riding on skid on the road while they were taking a left turn to get on to the Signature Bridge towards Bhajanpura in northeast Delhi.
“Both of them were wearing helmets. But, Shankar’s helmet came off as the motorcycle skid and his head hit the crash barrier (concrete railing with an iron rod installed on the top). Ojha’s helmet, on the other hand, remained intact and he survived,” Singh said, adding that the two were rushed to the Sushruta Trauma Centre, where
Shankar was declared brought dead.
The two were coming from Alipur and heading towards Ghaziabad when the accident took place around 8am.
Later in the day, however, Ojha told HT on the phone that he was riding pillion and the motorcycle was hit by an unknown vehicle while they were taking a left turn on the approach road. “My cousin Shankar lost control of the motorcycle as soon as the vehicle hit it from behind. The motorcycle skid on the road and we both fell. Shankar’s head hit the concrete railing and its iron rod,” Ojha, who suffered injuries on his knees and shoulders, said.
Ojha said some passersby stopped near them after the accident.
He got up and found Shankar bleeding from his head.
“My cousin was lying unconscious. I started screaming and did not know what to do. Several people had gathered around us but despite repeated requests, nobody took us to hospital. Someone from the crowd called the police control room. A police van arrived and took us to the hospital. But by the time we reached the hospital, my cousin was dead,” he said.
A case of rash driving and death by negligence was registered against unknown persons at the Timarpur police station. Police said preliminary investigation has revealed that the motorcycle skid because of its high speed, while the rider was negotiating a left turn.
Asked about Ojha’s allegations of the motorcycle being hit by an unknown vehicle, a police officer investigating the case said, “We have recorded his statement after the doctors declared him fit. In the statement, he did not mention anything about any other vehicle hitting the motorcycle.”
Shankar, a resident of Ghaziabad, worked as a salesman in a retail store. He is survived by his mother, mentally unstable brother and two sisters. Shankar was the only earning member in his family. No one came forward to claim his body on Saturday, delaying the post-mortem procedure.