Indian origin driver charged in Australia for car crash that killed 4 passengers: Report

An Indian-origin driver has been charged in Australia over a fatal accident that claimed the lives of four Indian passengers who came from Punjab.

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The accused, Harinder Singh, 41, was charged on Wednesday for dangerous driving causing the death of four passengers, according to the report by The Age newspaper.

The accident took place on January 4 when Singh was driving a car with four male passengers onboard across an intersection in Shepparton, situated in Australia's Victoria state, reported news agency PTI.

The car crashed with a Toyota Hilux ute towing a trailer. All four passengers died on the spot while the driver of the ute suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital, the report added.

Shepparton Punjabi community leader Dharmi Singh expressed his grief over the incident. He said, “all the four men were Punjabi, and they were visiting friends in Shepparton.”

According to the police reports, three of the four deceased were “ejected” from the car. There might be a possibility that the passengers were not wearing seat belts, the police added.

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Victoria Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Justin Goldsmith said last week that the early signs of the accident pointed to a “T-bone type collision”, news agency Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

“As a result of the collision, three men in the rear of the car had been ejected and had died. And the front-seat passenger has also been killed,” the police official added.

T-Bone accidents happen when a car's front-end crashes with the side of another vehicle. These are also called side-impact accidents.

The accused driver will face trial in court in June.

(With inputs from PTI)