Teen killed, 8 hurt as car rams 5 vehicles

NEWDELHI: A 16-year-old girl was killed and eight others were hospitalised after a retired professor lost control of his Toyota Fortuner car and rammed five vehicles in west Delhi’s Meera Bagh on Wednesday evening, the police said.

At least two of the injured people were in critical condition; some suffered multiple fractures, said a doctor at a private hospital where the victims were admitted.

Seju P Kuruvilla, deputy commissioner of police (outer), quoted the Fortuner driver, whom he identified as retired Delhi university professor Kamal Kumar Beharai, as saying that he lost control of the vehicle after pulling the hand brake when driving the vehicle at a high speed.

“The retired professor was not drunk,” said the DCP about the man who too was injured in the accident.

The accident happened in Meera Bagh under the Vikaspuri Flyover a little before 7 pm. An eyewitness who didn’t want to be named said a loud bang drew his attention.

“I thought the flyover had come crashing down. But when I looked out of my car’s window, I saw a speeding white Fortuner hitting some two-wheelers whose riders were flung in the air,” said the onlooker, a businessman who was travelling with his children.

The businessman alleged that the Fortuner had jumped a traffic signal and estimated the vehicle’s speed to be over 100 km/hr.

The DCP said that the exact circumstances of the accident, the traffic violations and the speed at which the vehicle was being driven were yet to be ascertained.

The officer said the Fortuner hit a bicycle, a scooter, a motorcycle and a cycle-rickshaw before finally ramming a stationary minibus.

The police were informed and the eyewitness joined others in taking the injured to the nearby Sehgal Neo Hospital before turning their attention on clearing a traffic jam that was quickly building up.

“Nine victims of the accident were brought to our hospital. One of them was a girl who was brought dead with a severed leg. Five other people had fractures. Two others have grave injuries and one of them is on ventilator support,” said a doctor who identified himself as Manoj.

The DCP identified the girl as Seema Dass and said other details of her were being ascertained. Her sister was injured. “We have seized the Fortuner and will have it examined to know what caused the accident,” said the DCP.