Man jumps from ‘out-of-control’ truck in Gurugram; dies

A 25-year-old truck co-driver died after falling from a speeding truck during a crash on the Faridabad-Gurugram road; the driver fled the scene.

A 25-year-old truck co-driver was killed after he allegedly tried to jump out of a speeding trailer truck that had gone out of control and caused a multi-vehicle pileup on the Faridabad-Gurugram road near Paras Quartier in Gwal Pahadi on Sunday evening, police said on Monday.

An FIR was registered against the suspected truck driver, who is absconding (HT)

The truck driver fled the spot after the accident. Police said the truck, loaded with several tonnes of gravel, also rammed into a Maruti Suzuki WagonR and an MG Windsor, damaging both vehicles. The occupants escaped unhurt, officers added.

The deceased was identified as Sunny Yadav, a resident of Bibipur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district. Police said the multi-axle truck was travelling from Rajasthan to Faridabad via the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR).

Investigators said the truck was speeding when it lost control on a downhill curve on the Faridabad-Gurugram road shortly before Gwal Pahadi. Police said preliminary probe suggest the truck may have suffered a brake failure while descending with a load of over 40 tonnes of gravel. Officials said the exact cause will be ascertained after the transport department inspects the vehicle.

A senior police officer said Yadav attempted to jump out of the cabin after sensing the danger. “Eyewitnesses said that his clothes got entangled with a hook in the truck’s chassis due to which he failed to jump at a safe distance. He ended up coming beneath the rear wheels of the truck and was crushed to death,” the officer said.

Police said the truck continued moving uncontrollably downhill before the driver managed to stop it.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram Police, said, “The truck driver abandoned the vehicle and had fled immediately after the accident. His identity has been ascertained, and he will be arrested soon. The truck was later seized from the spot.”

On the family’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the suspected truck driver under Sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at DLF Phase-I police station on Sunday. The body was handed over to the family after an autopsy on Monday.