Delhi woman killed, 8 injured in car collision on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

A 21-year-old student was killed, and eight others injured in a crash on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, caused by a speeding vehicle rear-ending their car.

A 21-year-old IGNOU student from Delhi was killed and eight others, including three members of her family, were critically injured when a speeding Brezza crashed into their Datsun Go on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Ferozepur Jhirka, Nuh, while attempting to catch up with a second car ahead, police said on Friday.

The Maruti Brezza involved in the accident. (HT Photo)

The deceased was identified as Nitika Kumari, a resident of Shakurpur in north Delhi. The five occupants of the Brezza were members of another family. The accident took place between 4pm and 4.10pm on Wednesday.

“Nitika, her sister Himani(25), brother Vishesh (16), and their uncle Sanjay Mandawat (45), were returning after dropping an elderly relative at their village Rajpur in Alwar, Rajasthan. Mandawat had slowed down his car along the expressway as Nitika was feeling nausea due to motion sickness. It was at this moment that the Brezza rear-ended their car,” said Ombir Singh, station house officer of Ferozepur Jhirka police station.

Police said that those in the Brezza were from Tri Nagar in north Delhi and were returning after offering prayers at Mehendipur Balaji temple in Rajasthan in two separate cars, one of which was the Brezza.

One car had moved ahead and the Brezza was speeding to catch up to it, which resulted in the severe crash. The Brezza was clocking nearly 130-140km/hr, and after the collision it flipped multiple times on the expressway.

“After the collision, the Datsun rammed the crash barrier, critically injuring Nitika because she had unfastened the seat belt to freshen herself with water,” Singh added.

Within five minutes of the crash, those travelling in the second car arrived on the scene to help their relatives in the Brezza, police said.

“A commuter stopped and loaded the bleeding Nitika into his vehicle along with the other injured persons of her family and rushed them to the subdivisional hospital, Mandi Khera. Doctors declared her dead and alerted us. Those in the second car also brought the five injured in the Brezza to Mandi Khera hospital from where they were referred to a higher centre for better treatment,” SHO Singh added.

Police did not identify those injured in the Brezza. There were four women and a man inside the Brezza. Police said that the Brezza driver will be arrested after he is discharged from the hospital.

Based on a complaint from Mandawat, a first information report was registered against the Brezza driver at Ferozepur Jhirka police station on Wednesday night under sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Nitika’s body was handed over to her family after an autopsy on Thursday, police said.

Meanwhile, Mandawat, a lawyer practising at the Rohini court, said his 91-year-old uncle Gyarsi Ram had reached Delhi for a short stay. “We had gone to drop him to Alwar. While returing, Nitika complainted of dizziness due to motion sickness and was vomiting,” he said.

Mandawat said he puchased lemonade and water and gave it to her. “I slowed down the car along the crash barriers and opened the windows when the Brezza rammed us,” he said.

“Nitika and Himani were on the rear seat and were not wearing seat belts. Somehow Nitika sustained a severe head injury as she was peeping out of the window to vomit and died on the way to the hospital,” he said

“There was no cooling facility at the government mortuary to preserve her body for an autopsy, so we arranged ice blocks for the purpose,” he said.