Drunk Driving: Inebriated driver ploughs into elderly woman sleeping on pavement; held

The vehicle in question belonged to Dheeraj Verma, a resident of Karehata, Lucknow, and was being driven by his younger brother, Neeraj, at the time of the incident.

LUCKNOW A 70-year-old woman was killed in Lucknow’s Bazarkhala area in the wee hours of Thursday when a speeding car, allegedly driven by an inebriated man, ploughed into her as she slept on the pavement.

Representative photo (PTI)

The accused, identified as Neeraj Verma, was arrested later in the day. He has been booked under a slew of charges -- including culpable homicide under section 304, reckless driving under section 279, and causing damage under section 427. This legal action stems from a complaint filed by the victim’s grieving son, Dina Nath Yadav.

The vehicle in question belonged to Dheeraj Verma, a resident of Karehata, Lucknow, and was being driven by his younger brother, Neeraj, at the time of the incident. It has been learnt that there were other occupants inside the car when the accident took place.

The tragedy struck on Thursday when the speeding car lost control, ploughed through a kiosk on the footpath, and ultimately crashed into a cot where the elderly woman was sleeping. The severely injured victim was immediately rushed to a trauma centre, but she succumbed to her injuries.

Dina Nath Yadav, who operates a small grocery kiosk outside his residence, recounted the traumatic events that unfolded. He revealed that his mother, Lilavati, was sleeping on a cot adjacent to the kiosk. Around 1 o’clock in the night, the family and neighbours were jolted awake by a deafening noise. “When I went outside, I witnessed the car lodged into the cot, with the kiosk shattered. Bystanders collaborated to extricate the car, but my mother remained trapped beneath it, gravely injured. The occupants of the car had fled the scene,” he recounted.