Three Killed, Two Seriously Injured in Devastating High-Speed Collision on Zirakpur's PR-7 Airport Road
A horrific high-speed crash on Thursday afternoon claimed three lives and left two others with serious injuries on the busy PR-7 Airport Road in Zirakpur, Mohali. The tragic incident involved a Toyota Fortuner SUV, an auto-rickshaw, and a stationary trailer, creating a scene of devastation that locals initially mistook for an explosion due to the sheer force of the impact.
Chronology of the Catastrophic Accident
The fatal collision occurred around 3:30 PM near a roadside dhaba. According to officials, the Toyota Fortuner was traveling from the McDonald's junction towards the Chhat lightpoint. The vehicle, which had reportedly just returned from Delhi Airport, was en route to a village near Fatehgarh Sahib. It was carrying six occupants, including two women and two children.
Eyewitness accounts and preliminary police investigations indicate that the SUV was moving at an alarmingly high speed, estimated to be over 150 kilometers per hour. The driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle, leading to a catastrophic chain of events.
- The speeding Fortuner first rammed into an auto-rickshaw, causing it to overturn and seriously injuring its two occupants.
- Subsequently, the SUV ploughed into the rear of a stationary trailer that was parked along the roadside.
- The impact was so severe that the Fortuner became completely wedged under the trailer, requiring extensive rescue operations.
Intense Rescue Operations and Victim Identification
Rescue efforts lasted nearly 30 minutes as emergency teams struggled to extricate victims from the mangled wreckage. Road Safety Force employee Sunil Kumar, one of the first responders at the scene, described the accident as "horrific".
"The Fortuner was stuck under the trailer. We had to break the windows to pull out the injured and the bodies," Kumar stated, highlighting the challenging nature of the rescue operation.
A crane was deployed to pull the SUV out from under the trailer. Rescue personnel were forced to open doors and remove parts of the dashboard to free trapped passengers. The deceased were identified as Amrik Singh (68), Balbir Singh (70), and Harjit Singh (35).
Police Investigation and Hospitalization
Police promptly shifted the injured and deceased to Dera Bassi Civil Hospital for medical attention and post-mortem examinations. Authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
Preliminary findings from the investigation point to overspeeding as the primary cause of this tragic accident. The case underscores critical concerns about road safety on this particular stretch of PR-7 Airport Road, which serves as a crucial transportation artery in the region.
This devastating incident serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of reckless driving and the importance of adhering to speed limits, especially on busy roads frequented by various types of vehicles including heavy transport trailers and smaller vehicles like auto-rickshaws.
