Four dead, one injured as car collides head-on with tractor in Noida’s Sector 11

The collision was so intense that the red Alto car was completely damaged on the right side while the tractor’s axle broke and was compressed towards the rear wheels

Four people who had come to Noida from Delhi to have dinner were killed and another severely injured after their car, a Maruti Suzuki Alto, collided head-on with a tractor in Noida’s Sector 11 on Sunday night, police said on Monday.

Eyewitnesses told police that the car was speeding -- they estimated that it was going at around 100km/hour -- when it rammed the tractor head on on the four-lane road. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The collision was so intense that the red Alto car was completely damaged on the right side while the tractor’s axle broke and was compressed towards the rear wheels. The damaged car was towed to the Sector 24 police station, said police.

Eyewitnesses told police that the car was speeding -- they estimated that it was going at around 100km/hour -- when it rammed the tractor head on on the four-lane road. However, the car passenger, who escaped with injuries, lodged a police complaint, claiming that the tractor was being driven on the wrong side. Police have not confirmed this.

The deceased have been identified as Mohit, Vishal, Himanshu (all single names), and Manish Singh, all aged around 25 years and residents of New Kondli in Delhi, police said. Their friend Uttam, 24, who also goes by a single name, was discharged after medical treatment.

“On Sunday night, all five had come to have dinner in Noida from Delhi. Around 2am, when they were headed back towards Delhi, their car collided head-on with a tractor near a private heart hospital in Block H of Sector 11, under the jurisdiction of Sector 24 police station,” said Ram Badan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Noida.

Hearing the loud thud of the car-tractor collision, locals rushed to the spot, and police were alerted on emergency helpline number 112.

“After we were alerted, a police team rushed to the spot, and the injured were rescued from inside the mangled vehicle and taken to a hospital,” said Singh.

Mohit, Vishal, and Himanshu succumbed to injuries at the spot, while Manish died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

“Uttam was seated on the left side rear seat, and he escaped with minor injuries. After preliminary treatment, doctors discharged him,” said a police officer, asking not to be named.

The car belongs to Himanshu, and he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, police said. “Investigation revealed that the car was speeding when the accident took place,” said DCP Singh.

Police said the tractor was transporting garbage. By the time police reached the spot, the tractor driver had fled the scene after abandoning his vehicle.

On the complaint by Uttam, a case under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Sector 24 police station. He alleged that the tractor driver was driving rashly and negotiated the vehicle on to the wrong lane, which led to the accident.

A senior officer said, “The road where the incident took place has four lanes without any divider. Wrong-side driving by the tractor driver has not been confirmed as yet as there was no traffic on that stretch at night. It came to fore that the deceased are neighbours and they used to leave home around 10 -11pm regularly to take a ride through the city. On Sunday, they drove to Noida.”