Young dreams shattered by speed: 5 killed, 1 injured as Thar overturns on Delhi-Gurugram expressway

Gurugram, Sep 27 (PTI) Five young lives, full of promise and dreams, were snuffed out early Saturday after a speeding Thar SUV slammed into the divider and rolled several times on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway. Three women and two men were killed in the accident, while a sixth occupant was hospitalised with grave injuries.

Of the three women, two were second-year law students -- one of them the daughter of a judge -- and the third was pursuing her graduation. The two men were in the advertising business. All the deceased were in their 20s and early 30s.

A senior officer said all six had reportedly consumed alcohol at the Ebola Club in Gurugram's Sector 30 on Friday night. The accident occurred around 4.30 am near exit 9 of the expressway.

The car was being driven at speeds in excess of 90 kmph before it spun out of control and crashed. The impact was so fierce that the car's roof was torn apart and its mangled remains lay scattered for around 100 metres.

Those who perished were identified as Uttar Pradesh natives Pratishtha Mishra, 25, a resident of Rae Bareli, Lavanya, 26, and Aditya Pratap Singh, 30, both from Agra, Gautam, 31, from Sonepat in Haryana, and Aditi Soni, 24, a resident of Greater Kailash in Delhi. Kapil Sharma, 27, a native of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, was injured.

According to police, Pratishtha and Lavnya were law students at Lloyd Law College in Greater Noida and lived in a hostel, while Aditi was pursuing her graduation from a private college in Delhi. Pratishtha was the daughter of Rae Bareli judge Chandramani Mishra. Lavanya's father is an inspector in the ITBP and is currently posted in Sikkim.

Aditya Pratap Singh worked for a private company in Noida, and his father is a stenographer at the Agra Civil Court. Police said Gautam was in the advertising business; however, his family members claimed that he was an engineer working with a multi-national electronic giant in Noida.

Kapil also works in a private company, and his father is a sub-inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police, said an officer.

According to police, the car was being driven by Gautam, who had borrowed it from a friend's friend. The SUV is owned by one Vishnu Kumar of Aligarh and has multiple pending challans.

"The driver lost control and the car collided with the divider. It then rolled several times before coming to a stop. The occupants suffered severe head injuries as a result," a police officer said.

A police team rushed all six to the hospital, but four of them were declared dead, while one succumbed to injuries during treatment.

Citing an eyewitness account, police said the car was returning to Delhi and the driver intended to make a U-turn near Jharsa Chowk flyover when the accident happened.

The crash disrupted traffic movement on the expressway for some time.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Rajesh Mohan, who reached the spot, told reporters, "Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accident took place due to overspeeding. The high speed of the car can be seen in CCTV footage at 4.24 am. We are investigating whether they were drunk or not". PTI COR RHL