Two people were killed and three others, including the trailer driver, injured after a speeding 18-wheeler rammed into several vehicles on the Jaipur-Delhi highway in Jaipur on Friday afternoon, police said.
The accident took place near the rear gate of the Anaj Mandi. Police officers said that the trailer hit five vehicles — three four-wheelers and two two-wheelers — before running over a pedestrian.
The trailer, which was travelling from Daulatpura toll plaza towards Ajmer Road, reportedly lost control while negotiating a flyover and descending towards the service lane. It crashed through the roadside railing before hitting vehicles and coming to a halt near a two-wheeler spare parts shop, officers said.
The impact was so severe that a car was completely mangled, while the pedestrian got trapped under the trailer’s wheels and died on the spot. Another victim, who was travelling in a car, died at a hospital while undergoing treatment.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Kiran said a preliminary investigation suggested that over-speeding led to the accident. “The trailer coming from Daulatpura toll plaza hit three four-wheelers and two two-wheelers while moving towards the slip road. One person died on the spot, while another succumbed during treatment,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Kiran said a preliminary investigation suggested that over-speeding led to the accident. “The trailer coming from Daulatpura toll plaza hit three four-wheelers and two two-wheelers while moving towards the slip road. One person died on the spot, while another succumbed during treatment,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Police identified the deceased as Ramesh (60), a resident of Sita Vihar in Murlipura, and Hanuman Sahay (40), from Renwal in Phagi.
The injured were identified as trailer driver Suman Kumar from Jharkhand, and two-wheeler riders Navrang Ram, a resident of Bamanwas in Khandela, and Deep Singh Rawat, from Nasirabad in Ajmer. All three were taken to hospital for treatment.
Vishnu Garg, a shopkeeper who witnessed the accident, said he was sitting inside his shop when he saw the trailer approaching at high speed. “It first hit one vehicle and then another before running over a man who was walking nearby. He appeared to have just got down from a vehicle when the trailer struck him. He died on the spot. Two motorcycles parked near my shop were also damaged,” Garg said.
Rakesh Sharma, owner of the two-wheeler spare parts shop near which the trailer came to a halt, said, “For a moment, we thought the trailer would crash into our shop. It struck the raised platform outside and hit a parked scooter and a car. The platform prevented it from entering the shop, and we narrowly escaped.”
Police are examining CCTV footage from the area to reconstruct the sequence of events and ascertain the circumstances that led to the driver losing control of the heavy vehicle.