Car falls off Ghaziabad bridge onto shanty, pregnant woman and kids injured

A speeding car allegedly broke through the crash barriers of the Rajnagar District Centre rail-over-bridge (ROB) late Tuesday night and plunged 15-20 feet onto a shanty below, critically injuring a 30-year-old pregnant woman, her husband, and their two minor children, police said.

The accident took place around 11.50pm when Sandeep Kumar, 33, his wife Madhu Devi, and their four children were asleep in their shanty near the bridge adjacent to the New Ghaziabad railway station. “It was a Swift car that fell from a height of about 15-20 feet and landed on the shanty. The couple and two of their children, aged four and eight, suffered injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Delhi,” said Swatantra Kumar Singh, ACP of Kavi Nagar circle.

Sandeep’s brother, Titu Kumar, who was sleeping in a nearby shanty, rushed to the spot after hearing a loud crash. “At first, I thought it was an earthquake. I was shocked to see my brother and his family trapped under the car, crying for help. There were four people in the car, and three of them fled immediately. We managed to catch one, but he started shouting that the car ran on CNG and would explode. In the chaos, he also escaped,” Titu said.

With the help of locals, Titu and others spent nearly 20-25 minutes overturning the car to free the victims. “My sister-in-law, who is in the final stages of pregnancy, suffered a head injury due to the impact. We took my brother, his wife, and two children to a local hospital, but they referred us to Delhi due to the severity of their injuries,” he added.

Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (city), said, “Police reached the spot within 5-10 minutes of the incident being reported and took the injured to MMG Hospital for treatment and medical aid.”

Police have seized the vehicle and are searching for the driver. “At this stage, we cannot confirm how many people were in the car. We are tracing the owner and driver using the registration number. An FIR has been registered for rash and negligent driving and acts endangering life and personal safety,” ACP Singh said. The case has been registered at Kavi Nagar police station.