An auto-rickshaw driver and two passengers had a miraculous escape when a girder weighing several tonnes came crashing down on the vehicle on Golf Course Road.
The accident took place at the last metro station of the under-construction Rapid Metro Phase-II on Tuesday.
According to the eye-witnesses, auto-driver Pawan suffered head injuries and the two passengers, including a woman, escaped unhurt. No sooner had the auto-rickshaw driver carrying the two passengers reached under the under-construction Sector 55-56 metro station of Rapid Metro than the girder came crashing down on the vehicle.
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A security guard at the spot said that the girder was being lifted to the top of the metro station with the help of a crane when the mishap took place.
The girder fell on the rear part of the auto damaging it completely. “It was indeed a miraculous escape for the three. They survived by just a fraction of second. Had the girder fallen in the middle, no one would have survived. It is so heavy weighing several tonnes,” said eye-witness Avdesh, a labourer.
Rohtash, another auto-driver, who was also present at some distance from the spot, said that he saw the people running helter-skelter. “When I reached the spot, the driver was profusely bleeding from his head. When the girder fell, the auto immediately got stuck and the driver banged his head against the wind shield. The mobile of one of the passengers was also damaged in the incident.
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He was paid a few thousand rupees at the spot itself. The driver was taken to hospital,” said Rohtash. He claimed that the police came an hour after the incident.
Another security guard confirmed that the road was not closed to the traffic while the girder was being lifted, which led to the accident. “Any incident of this nature is unfortunate and we are ensuring assistance to the parties involved.
Despite the stringent safety measures in place this incident has occurred. We have initiated enquiry and have asked our contractor to submit a detailed report on the same,” said a Rapid Metro spokesperson.
However, no case has been registered in this regard. “We have not received any complaint in this regard. When the police reached the hospital, the injured driver refused to lodge any complaint,” said Gurgaon Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hawa Singh.
The accident took place at the last metro station of the under-construction Rapid Metro Phase-II