Woman, daughter killed after car crashes into stationary truck in Delhi’s Ghazipur

Police said the family was returning from Dehradun and was on their way to their residence in Rohini Sector 7.

NEW DELHI: A 55-year-old woman and her 38-year-old daughter, travelling with three other family members in a car, died when their car collided with a stationary truck near the MCD toll plaza on National Highway 9 (NH 9) in Ghazipur on Thursday morning, police said. An initial investigation suggests the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, they said.

A car collided with a parked truck on the National Highway near Ghazipur toll plaza, (Sonu Mehta/HT)

The impact of the collision was such that the mother, identified as Neelam Garg, who was seated on the back, was thrown out of the vehicle, while the daughter, Deepanjali, who was seated in the front passenger’s seat, was crushed and stuck to the vehicle. The car was completely mangled on its front-left side.

Police said the family was returning from Dehradun and was on their way to their residence in Rohini Sector 7. “The impact of the collision was severe. Two women passengers were found dead at the scene. One victim had been thrown out of the vehicle, while the other was trapped in the front left passenger seat,” deputy commissioner of police (east) Abhishek Dhania said.

The impact of the collision was such that the mother, identified as Neelam Garg, who was seated on the back, was thrown out of the vehicle.

Neelam’s son Deepanshu Garg, 28, and Deepanjali’s children Ivan, 5, and Vasu, 3, were injured and admitted to a private hospital in Patparganj. Deepanshu and Ivan are stable, while Vasu’s condition is critical, police said. The bodies of the two women were moved to the Lal Bahadur Shastri mortuary for post-mortem examination.

The crash briefly disrupted traffic movement on NH-9 during the morning peak hours, police said.

A police officer aware of the matter said, “We are yet to ascertain whether the crash happened due to speeding... but so far, the probe suggests that the driver fell asleep while driving. Deepanjali was in the passenger’s seat while Neelam and the kids were sitting at the back.”

The officer said that the statements of the injured driver will be recorded, once he is fit, to establish the exact sequence of events.

Police registered a case under sections of causing death by negligence and collected footage from CCTV cameras located in the vicinity to determine the circumstances leading to the accident. The container truck and the car have been seized for mechanical inspection, police said.

The truck driver was in his vehicle at the time of the incident, police said.

The victims’ family members said that Deepanshu and Neelam had gone to Dehradun on Wednesday morning to pick up Deepanjali and her kids for a vacation in Delhi. “My wife and son had gone to bring my daughter and her kids here because they wanted to visit for a few days. I spoke to my kids on Wednesday night before they started from Dehradun. I am assuming they decided to leave late night to avoid traffic and not waste the day,” said Rajendra Garg, Neelam’s husband, adding that Deepanshu often drove overnight.

Rajendra, who runs a wholesale rice business, said that he lives in a rented accommodation in Rohini Sector 7 with his family. Deepanshu got married about a year ago and he stayed with his parents, he said. Relatives said that Deepanjali was planning to stay until the Holi festival.

Police said the bodies were handed over to the family after an autopsy on Thursday afternoon.