A tragic road accident on the Ganga Expressway in Sambhal district claimed the lives of a 55-year-old Delhi-based doctor and his daughter on Tuesday. Five others, including a toddler, sustained injuries when their hatchback collided with a Mercedes. Preliminary investigations by the police suggest that both vehicles were traveling at high speed at the time of the collision.
Details of the Accident
The incident occurred around 7 am near Khirni village under the Kaila Devi police station limits. According to Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Kuldeep Kumar, the hatchback, a Volkswagen Polo driven by Dr. Arvind Kumar of Hari Nagar, West Delhi, made an unauthorized entry onto the expressway. A Mercedes carrying three occupants—a Noida-based businessman, his son, and their driver—was traveling from Noida to Lucknow. The driver of the Mercedes failed to notice the hatchback, resulting in a violent collision.
Following the impact, the hatchback veered off the expressway, and both vehicles sustained extensive damage. Dr. Arvind Kumar and his daughter Yamini, 31, were declared dead at the scene. The doctor's wife, Mona, his other daughter, Priya, and her one-and-a-half-year-old child, Sucharita, were also in the vehicle and suffered critical injuries.
Victims and Injuries
Dr. Vishnu Hari Upadhyay, managing director of Bhagwan Dattatray Hospital in Sambhal, provided additional context. He stated that Dr. Arvind Kumar was returning to Delhi with his family to drop his daughter Priya at the airport for a flight to Ahmedabad, where she is married. The deceased daughter, Yamini, was unmarried. The injured, including Mona and Sucharita, are currently in critical condition at a hospital in Delhi.
The Noida businessman and his son, who were in the Mercedes, also sustained serious injuries. The businessman is a resident of Noida Sector 112. Police have detained the Mercedes driver for questioning and are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
Investigation Underway
Authorities are probing how the hatchback entered the expressway and traveled in the wrong direction without being detected. CO Kumar stated, “We are now probing how the hatchback entered the e-way and travelled in the wrong direction without being noticed. The Mercedes driver has been detained for questioning and further investigation is underway. No complaint has been received so far.”
The police have not yet filed a formal complaint, but investigations continue to determine the exact sequence of events and any lapses in expressway security.
