Faridabad: Man dies after scooter hits cattle on dark road, lies unattended

Police said three to four cattle were sleeping on the road and streetlights were non-functional when the crash occurred in NIT-2.

A 38-year-old man died on Tuesday after lying unattended for nearly an hour, when his scooter allegedly rammed into cattle sleeping on the middle of a dark road in Faridabad’s NIT-2, police said.

Commuters spotted the victim 50-60 minutes after the crash as daylight broke and alerted police, but he had suffered excessive blood loss. (HT)

According to investigating officers, the victim, Karan Bahl, a resident of NIT-5, was returning home from a friend’s house in NIT-2 when the crash occurred around 4.14am. Police said three to four cattle were resting on the road, and streetlights in the area were non-functional.

Police said the accident was recorded on a CCTV camera installed in the area. The recording showed that Bahl’s scooter struck one of the animals and flipped multiple times, throwing him nearly 20-30 feet away. His head hit a concrete divider, causing severe injuries, police added.

“From the CCTV audio, it is clear that Bahl tried to brake hard after spotting the cattle from a distance of a few feet in the dark. A screeching sound of the tyre can be clearly heard. However, he ended up hitting the cattle asleep in the middle of the road and was flung away several feet,” Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said.

CCTV showed the victim braking after spotting cattle, before hitting one, flipping his scooter and being flung into a concrete divider. (HT)

Police said the footage also revealed that commuters spotted him lying on the road roughly 50 to 60 minutes later, as daylight broke, and alerted the police control room. By then, however, he had already suffered excessive blood loss and was in critical condition, officials said.

Investigators said commuters arranged an ambulance and rushed him to a nearby private hospital, but doctors referred him to Badshah Khan Civil Hospital given his critical condition. He died while being transported there.

Ashish Bahl, the victim’s brother, said Karan ran a second-hand automobile sale-purchase firm in Faridabad. “He had got married just a year ago. Karan’s wife and our parents are devastated with his death,” he said, and also ruled out any negligence in the crash.

On Ashish’s statement, an inquiry under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita was registered at SGM Nagar police station. The body was handed over to the family after an autopsy on Tuesday.

Nitesh Parwal, nodal medical officer (stray animal) for the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad, said the incident had come to their notice. “We will reach out to the deceased’s family to seek details of the incident for necessary action as per government direction,” he said.

On the broader issue of stray cattle, Parwal said the MCF earlier had two vehicles for catching and transporting strays, but the fleet has now been increased to nine for an intensified crackdown to prevent such accidents in future.

A 75-year-old man also died on Tuesday after being attacked by a cattle during morning walk at Mata Chowk in Rewari. Pratap Singh Yadav was declared dead at the hospital.