BMW rams cab, auto; four injured

Accident happened near R.K. Puram’s Sector 9; driver arrested, medical test says he was inebriated

NEW DELHI, 12/03/2017: A Mercedes car seen with other one parked at R.K. Puram Police station which involved in a accident, in New Delhi on Sunday, New Delhi. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma.

Four people were injured after a speeding BMW hit an Uber cab and an autorickshaw in south Delhi’s R.K. Puram at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

The accused, 28-year-old Rajat Prabhakar, a resident of Karol Bagh, has been arrested.

He was inebriated at the time of the accident. “He was found to be drunk after a medical test,” said ADCP (South) Chinmoy Biswas.

Mr. Prabhakar told the police that he was coming from Vasant Vihar after dropping a friend. According to him, he was on Major Som Nath Marg when his car crashed into the Maruti Swift Dzire, which was headed towards the airport, at the Sector 9 junction.

Injured rushed to AIIMS

Eyewitnesses said that the impact was such that the cab spun around before hitting an autorickshaw waiting for a passenger. Ultimately, the BMW crashed into the boundary wall of an adjacent colony.

Locals to the rescue

Residents of the colony rushed the injured — which included auto driver Ram Chander (60), cab driver Pradeep (35), and Munni Datta (28) and her husband Bitto Pal (32) who were inside the cab — to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. “We heard a thud and ran outside to see both the cars completely damaged. The woman was bleeding profusely and having trouble breathing. We immediately stopped another cab and sent the four injured to a hospital,” said Neelam Gupta, a resident.

The residents claimed that they saw an empty bottle of alcohol in Mr. Prabhakar’s car when they tried to get him out of the car. “He didn’t seem aware of what was happening. We tried to talk to him, but he didn’t speak. He just kept staring,” said Pooja Yadav, an eyewitness who was out for her morning walk.

Vulnerable spot

Ms. Yadav’s car and bike, which were parked next to the boundary wall, were also damaged in the accident. “The car was at such a speed that a portion of the wall crumbled and hit my car,” she said.

The residents, meanwhile, complained of speeding cars becoming a regular feature in the area thanks to traffic signal problems.

“Such accidents are common at this signal. It hasn’t been working for the past 15 days, said Ms. Yadav.