New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) When Aishwarya Pandey planned to celebrate his 19th birthday with his friends, little did he know that he would end the night in hospital, battling for his life.
Pandey was one of five Delhi University students who were injured when their speeding SUV crashed into a guardrail, which pierced through the vehicle, near Rajghat in north Delhi early on Thursday. They were returning from a pub in Gururgram.
A first-year BA student of Deshbandhu College, Pandey had thrown a birthday party for his friends — Keshav Kumar (19), Aishwarya Mishra (19) and Ujjawal (19), all students of Dayal Singh College, and Krishna (18) of Motilal Nehru College.
“It was Pandey’s birthday on Wednesday. He threw a party for his friends and had rented a car. While returning to Delhi, he gave the keys to his friend Aishwarya Mishra to drive,” a senior police officer said.
Pandey was sitting behind the driver and suffered serious injuries.
“He is on ventilator support at Lok Nayak Hospital,” the officer added.
Pandey, a resident of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, was living in a PG accommodation in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar. Both his parents are dead.
“We are waiting for his uncle. His condition is critical and he is on ventilator support. He is battling for his life. He lost his father, who worked for a private company, due to an illness and his mother, a teacher, died in a road accident,” his relative said.
It appears that the Hyundai Venue car was being driven at a high speed and the driver lost control, leading to the crash, the officer said and added that the accident occurred on the stretch between the Shanti Van red light and Geeta Colony.
“So far we have learnt that the driver lost control over the vehicle when he was changing the music and failed to spot the guardrail that pierced through the vehicle,” the officer said.
Mishra, who also hailed from Etawah, suffered critical injuries. His parents have admitted him to a private hospital in Delhi.
Krishna, a resident of south Delhi’s Saket, is undergoing treatment but is stated to be out of danger. He was seated in the middle of the rear seat.
Kumar, also a native of Etawah, was sitting next to the driver. Ujjawal was sitting in the left rear seat. Kumar and Ujjawal were discharged after first aid, the police said.
The police said the five friends drove to Zee Town, a pub in Gurugram, on Wednesday to celebrate Pandey’s birthday and had drinks.
“While crossing the Geeta Colony flyover, Mishra got distracted while changing the song playing on his mobile phone and lost control of the vehicle. The car collided with the railing,” the police said in a statement.
A case under sections 281 (rash driving) and 125(a) (causing hurt by act endangering life of personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Kotwali police station. PTI BM SZM
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