Dehradun accident: Six friends’ last moments before tragic death

Six youngsters, including three women, were killed in a high-speed car accident at ONGC Chowk in Dehradun in the wee hours of Tuesday. The deceased were Guneet Singh, Kamakshi Singhal, Navya Goyal, Rishabh Jain, Atul Agrawal and Kunal Kukreja, aged between 19 and 24 years. The accident took place when they were on a late-night drive after a party at Siddhesh Agrawal’s house.

Around 1:30 am, when all these seasoned friends were travelling in their MUV at high speed, the vehicles reached near ONGC Chowk. According to CCTV footage, the MUV was travelling at over 100 kmph and was trying to overtake a luxury car. During this, the driver misjudged the distance and the MUV collided directly with the container truck.

The collision was so severe that the roof of the MUV was ripped off and six people died on the spot.

The full details of the accident are not yet clear as the CCTV cameras at ONGC Chowk were out of order. According to Dehradun Smart City Limited (DSCL), out of the total 536 cameras in the city, 134 are not functional, one of which was crucial for this case.

Local police and officials believe that the main reason for the accident was speeding. The driver of the container truck fled from the spot after the accident, although officials say that the truck driver was not at fault.

Single survivor Siddhesh Agrawal has suffered serious head injuries and is undergoing treatment. He is currently unable to speak and has not been able to give information about the accident. Siddhesh’s condition is stable, but his silence has become a major obstacle in the investigation.

Initial investigations revealed that the MUV, which was probably new and without a number plate, was moving from Ballupur Chowk towards Garhi Cantt. A luxury car overtook the MUV at high speed, following which the driver of the MUV increased the speed. Meanwhile, a container truck was coming at a steady speed at the intersection. The driver miscalculated and thought he would cross the intersection before the truck passed, but due to the high speed, the MUV hit the rear of the truck.

After this accident, citizens have appealed to the administration to take strict action against speeding vehicles. They say that more checkpoints and patrolling are needed, especially near bars and pubs, to prevent incidents of drunk driving.

“Those who violate the speed limit should be given strict punishment, no matter what their social status. The administration should ensure the use of helmets and take more strict action against two-wheelers.” This was said by Radha Chatterjee, a member of the Citizen Forum.

Apart from this, the Forum has also recommended the implementation of the ‘designated driver’ system in Dehradun. The administration has taken some steps seriously on this matter. For example, the permission for 24-hour liquor service of a five-star hotel located on Mussoorie Road has been withdrawn.

This tragic accident reminds us that ignoring road safety can put lives in danger, and to prevent this we have to tighten all safety measures.