Man dead after SUV rams into stationary Thar jeep on MG Road

The deceased was speeding and the driver of the jeep had stationed the vehicle on the road without using indicators or headlights, leading to the crash, said a police officer

A 32-year-old man was killed after his SUV rammed into a stationary Thar jeep on MG Road early Monday morning. The impact was so severe that the SUV’s front portion was crushed completely and the deceased man, who was driving the vehicle, sustained critical injuries.

The impact was so severe that the SUV’s front portion was crushed completely and the deceased man, who was driving the vehicle, sustained critical injuries. (HT PHoto)

According to police, the incident took place at 4am near Essel Towers residential society on MG Road. The deceased, Sumit Ahuja, a resident of Kirti Nagar in Sector 15, was returning home when the mishap occurred.

Ahuja called a friend and told him to reach the spot, while passersby informed the police.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said police teams from Sector 29 and MG Road police post reached the spot and after sending the injured man to hospital with his wife, removed the vehicles from the middle of the road with the help of a crane.

“The deceased was speeding and the driver of the jeep had stationed the vehicle on the road without using indicators or headlights, leading to the crash. We are unaware if the driver was sitting inside the jeep or standing outside, but one of the passesby had witnessed him running away from the spot,” he said.

Saloni Ahuja, wife of the deceased man, said, “After his car crashed into the jeep, Sumit managed to inform his friend Neeraj, who called me.” They both reached the spot and took him to a private hospital in Sector 44. “On the way, he told me that when he was driving on MG Road between the Metro station and Iffco Chowk, he could not spot the stationary jeep as he had not turned on his headlights or used the indicator,” she added.

Ahuja said her husband sustained serious injuries to which he succumbed as soon as he was admitted to hospital. “The Thar jeep’s driver is responsible for my husband’s death and the accident took place due to his negligence and strict action should be taken against him,” she said.

Police have seized the jeep and identified the owner, who is on the run. A case was registered against the driver under sections 283 (danger or obstruction in public way) and 304A (death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 29 police station on Monday.

Gurugram reported 812 accidents between January and October this year and 327 road fatalities. According to police, while 409 people were killed in road accidents in 2021, at least 375 lost their life in 2020.

According to Sarika Panda Bhatt, a road safety expert and former programme coordinator of the now-defunct Haryana Vision Zero campaign, MG Road is a critical stretch where many accidents take place every year. “There are three black spots on the stretch -- Iffco Chowk, Sikanderpur crossing and Bristol crossing. The stretch is busy and active as Metro stations, commercial complexes and malls are situated on it,” she said.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is developing four critical road stretches in the city as ‘model roads’, including a 2.5km-long stretch of MG Road between the Sikanderpur metro station and Iffco Chowk. The GMDA has also built speed tables opposite Sahara Mall on the 2km-long Mall Mile.