Truck rams car on SPR; kills 1, injures another

The duo were returning from Gurugram when the crash occurred around 3.30am near Sector 74. Police said the truck driver fled after abandoning the vehicle.

A 21-year-old Delhi resident died and his friend was critically injured after a speeding truck hit their car on Southern Peripheral Road near Sector 74 while they were returning home early Saturday, police said.

Police said the car swerved violently after the truck brushed against it while overtaking. The injured driver remains critical in hospital. (HT)

The deceased was identified as Harsh Sharma, 21, a resident of Sadh Nagar in Palam Colony, Delhi, police said. The injured person was his neighbour and friend Chirag Sharma, 22. The duo were bachelor of arts students in a college in Delhi, they added.

Police said the two had reached Gurugram around 9.30pm on Friday and were returning home after watching a movie and attending a party. The crash occurred around 3.30am on Southern Peripheral Road. A senior police official said commuters pulled the duo out of the Maruti Swift after the crash. The car was wrecked beyond recognition. “They rushed the duo to a private hospital in Sector 51. However, Harsh soon succumbed to the severe injuries sustained in the crash,” the officer said.

Investigators said Chirag Sharma was driving the car. His condition was stated to be critical but stable. Police officials said the truck driver fled the spot after abandoning the vehicle, which bore a Nagaland registration number. The truck’s axle was damaged after the collision.

Officers found both vehicles at the scene and seized them before towing them to the SPR police post to clear the expressway for traffic. Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said the truck was likely attempting to overtake when it brushed against the car. “The truck was probably trying to overtake when it brushed the car, causing it to swerve violently, resulting in the crash,” he said.

Based on the complaint of injured Chirag, police registered an FIR against the unidentified truck driver at Badshahpur police station on Saturday under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash driving), 125 (b) (causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 324 (4) (mischief causing damage amounting to ₹20,000 or more but less than ₹1 lakh) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.