Safety wall ‘missing’: Allegations surface after Army officer's son studying in US dies in Delhi car accident
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A 20-year-old Indian Army officer's son died after his car plunged into a drain in Delhi.
- The accident occurred near a traffic signal in the Vasant Kunj area, with allegations of a missing safety wall contributing to the risk.
- Eyewitnesses described the difficulty in rescuing the victim due to the drain's depth and raised concerns about ongoing negligence regarding road safety.
A tragic accident in Delhi has claimed the life of a 20-year-old man, Yashvendra, the son of an Indian Army officer, who was pursuing his higher studies in the United States. The incident occurred last week when the car he was driving plunged into a drain in the Vasant Kunj area.
According to reports, the vehicle, which belonged to a female friend accompanying Yashvendra, lost control on a sharp turn near a traffic signal in the Nangal Dewat area before falling into the water-filled drain. While Yashvendra sustained critical injuries and later succumbed to them during treatment at a nearby hospital, his friend managed to survive with injuries.
I was passing from there when I saw a girl trying to stop people for help. Police personnel were also there. I immediately asked the police personnel to call the fire department for the rescue work.
The accident has ignited serious concerns and allegations regarding safety lapses and negligence in the area. An eyewitness, Pradeep Sehrawat, told PTI that the absence of a protective safety wall on the stretch made the area particularly risky. He recounted seeing the injured friend desperately seeking help and described the challenges faced by rescuers due to the drain's depth.
One person was trapped inside the car on the driver's seat and was not able to move. Along with the police personnel, we even tried to reach him, but due to the depth of the water-filled area, we were unable to reach him.
Sehrawat further alleged that the water filling the drain was not rainwater but was dumped there, possibly by a mafia, from Aerocity. He claimed this negligence contributed to the road becoming slippery, ultimately leading to the accident. He urged the government to install safety walls or cover such areas to prevent future incidents, especially during foggy winter conditions.
This incident echoes a similar tragedy in January this year, where a 27-year-old software engineer died after his car fell into a construction site pit in Noida, also amid allegations of safety negligence. The recurring nature of such accidents highlights persistent issues with road infrastructure and safety oversight in the region.
This is just the negligence of the DDA. There's a mafia here who brings sewer water from Aerocity and dumps it here. This isn't rainwater; it's not the water of any resident here, so that's what caused this accident.
Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.