NEW DELHI: An eyewitness to the fatal road accident in southwest Delhi’s Vasant Kunj has alleged that the lack of a protective safety wall at the accident site makes the stretch dangerous and urged the authorities to take corrective measures before winter, when dense fog reduces visibility.The allegation comes a day after 20-year-old Yashvendra, a student pursuing higher education in the US and son of an Indian Army officer, died after the car he was driving plunged into a water-filled drain near a traffic signal in the Nangal Dewat area.Eyewitness Pradeep Sehrawat, who reached the spot soon after the accident, said he saw the woman passenger desperately trying to seek help while the driver remained trapped inside the overturned vehicle, news agency PTI reported.
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“I was passing from there when I saw a girl trying to stop people for help. Police personnel were also there. I immediately asked the police personnel to call the fire department for the rescue work,” Sehrawat told media persons.He said the driver was trapped inside the vehicle and rescuers initially found it difficult to reach him because of the depth of the water-filled drain.“One person was trapped inside the car on the driver’s seat and was not able to move. Along with the police personnel, we even tried to reach him, but due to the depth of the water-filled area, we were unable to reach him,” he said.According to Sehrawat, personnel from the Delhi fire services and other rescue agencies soon arrived at the spot and began the rescue operation.“Many rescue agencies reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. The student was brought out of the car and rushed to a nearby hospital,” he said.Raising concerns over safety at the location, Sehrawat alleged that there was no protective wall or barrier to stop vehicles from falling into the drain, PTI reported.“Winter season will soon come, and the place will be covered in fog. More such incidents can happen at any time. The government should cover the area or build safety walls so that such accidents can be avoided,” he said.Police did not comment on the eyewitness’s allegation regarding the absence of a safety wall.According to police, the accident occurred on Friday morning when Yashvendra and his friend, a resident of Vasant Kunj, were travelling towards her residence.After receiving a PCR call, a team from Vasant Kunj South Police Station reached the spot and found the car overturned inside the drain.“Preliminary investigation revealed that Yashvendra and his friend were headed towards her residence when the accident took place,” a police officer said.Police suspect that the student lost control of the vehicle at a sharp turn near the Nangal Dewat traffic signal, where the road was slippery, causing the car to skid off the road and plunge into the drain.Meanwhile, the DDA said its investigation found that the car was speeding, causing it to skid and overturn into the open drain.The DDA also said an earlier request to install speed breakers on Nangal Dewat Road had been found infeasible by the traffic police.Yashvendra suffered critical injuries and died while undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.Police said Yashvendra and the woman passenger were students at the same educational institution in the US and had become friends while studying there.Further investigation into the accident is underway.(With agency inputs)
