A speeding Innova overturned and crashed in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur on Monday after the driver allegedly opened the door to spit gutkha while driving at over 100 kmph, resulting in the death of a businessman and leaving two others critically injured.
The Innova rolled over several times on the road, hitting two other vehicles and injuring one of their drivers, Times of India reported.
Quoting police, the report said the man who died was Jackie Gehi, 31, a cloth trader from Chakarbhatha on the outskirts of Bilaspur, about 100 km from Raipur.
He had attended a late-night party on Sunday and had called his friend Akash Chandani around 1.30 am to pick him up.
Akash arrived with his friend Pankaj Chhabra to pick up Jackie Gehi after the party. Akash was behind the wheel, Pankaj sat in the front passenger seat, and Jackie was seated in the back.
While driving on the Bilaspur-Raipur highway, Akash suddenly opened the door to spit gutkha. This caused him to immediately lose control of the vehicle, which swerved into the divider and overturned several times.
Crash flings three occupants out of car
The impact was so strong that all three occupants were thrown out of the vehicle as it hurtled down the highway. Jackie was violently flung and hit a metal structure near the divider, suffering fatal injuries to his chest, head, and shoulders.
{{/usCountry}}The impact was so strong that all three occupants were thrown out of the vehicle as it hurtled down the highway. Jackie was violently flung and hit a metal structure near the divider, suffering fatal injuries to his chest, head, and shoulders.
{{/usCountry}}Jackie Gehi died on the spot, while Akash and Pankaj were also thrown from the vehicle, hitting the ground hard and sustaining serious injuries.
The runaway Innova then collided with a parked commercial vehicle, overturned four to five more times, and finally crashed into a stationary Ertiga, injuring its driver, who had no time to start the engine or escape, the report added.
The terrifying accident was captured on CCTV footage, which shows the vehicle tumbling along the road and one of the passengers being ejected and crashing into a pole.
Emergency responders arrived quickly after passersby alerted the authorities. The police cordoned off the area and rushed the injured to the hospital. The damaged vehicles and debris were later cleared from the road.