A 42-year-old woman died after her new car plunged into a pond while learning to drive at Keshtopur near Kolkata on Wednesday, police said.
The woman, Sumitra Das, used to stay with her husband Krishnendu and their daughter in a flat near Prafulla Kanan West off the VIP Road in the northern fringes of Kolkata. While Krishnendu runs a business, Sumitra worked in a private firm.
“The family recently purchased a car and Sumitra was learning to drive it. She had to appear for a driving test for her license and was practising. She might have pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes and the car plunged into the 10–12 feet deep pond,” said a police official.
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Locals told the media that some people jumped into the pond to save her immediately after the car fell into the pond, but failed. The police and fire brigade were alerted. The car was fished out after around an hour and a half. She had died by then. The victim was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared her dead.
“When the car was fished out of the water and the doors were opened, it was found that the victim had tried to reach the back door. Her head was towards the back seat and her legs were towards the driver’s seat, suggesting that she might have desperately tried to open the door,” Sujoy Das, a local resident, told media persons.
{{/usCountry}}“When the car was fished out of the water and the doors were opened, it was found that the victim had tried to reach the back door. Her head was towards the back seat and her legs were towards the driver’s seat, suggesting that she might have desperately tried to open the door,” Sujoy Das, a local resident, told media persons.
{{/usCountry}}According to family members, Sumitra had gone to drop off her daughter at the bus stop in the morning. While returning she went to the garage where the car was parked. The garage was located at a distance from their residence and there was a pond nearby.
“Soon after bringing out the car from the garage, it plunged into the pond. A few local residents jumped into the pond but couldn’t save her,” said Anish Pal, another local resident.