1 dead, 3 critical after truck rams car on Delhi-Jaipur E-way

A 43-year-old man died and three others were critically injured after a speeding truck rammed into their broken-down car on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway near Iffco Chowk around 12.30am on Monday, police said.

The deceased was identified as Riyaz Ansari, a resident of Batuwa village in East Champaran, Bihar, who lived in a rented house in Jharsa, Sector 37, and worked at an automobile spare parts manufacturing firm in the area, police said.

The injured were identified as Mohammad Zunaid, 40; his nephew Sahil Mansoori, 36; and his maternal aunt Rihana Khatoon, 35 — all hailing from the same village, police said. While Khatoon suffered minor injuries as she remained seated in the car, the three men sustained critical injuries as they were inspecting the engine when the collision took place, they added.

“Zunaid had purchased a used Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R and the group was travelling to their hometown after attending a wedding in Noida when the incident took place,” said station house officer (SHO) of Sector 18 police station Surender Singh.

According to police, the car broke down about one kilometre ahead of Iffco Chowk on the elevated section of the expressway. Zunaid managed to pull the vehicle to the side of the road and turned on the blinkers to alert oncoming traffic. He was reportedly contacting a mechanic when the truck rammed into the rear of the vehicle, dragging the three men under its wheels.

“The woman survived with minor injuries, but the others were dragged and critically injured,” Singh said. “They had multiple leg fractures, abdominal ruptures and waist injuries,” he added.

Alerted by the noise, commuters nearby reportedly chased down the truck driver, caught him, and informed the police control room. They also arranged ambulances to rush the victims to a nearby private hospital, where Ansari succumbed to his injuries early Monday morning. The two critically injured men were later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi for advanced treatment.

The arrested truck driver was identified as Akhilesh Kumar, a resident of Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. An FIR has been registered against him under BNS Sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) at Sector 18 police station.

Police said both vehicles were seized from the accident site, and the body of the deceased was handed over to his family after an autopsy.