It was like any other Saturday for M Shankar, an autorickshaw driver who ferries commuters from the Biodiversity junction to the Hitec city station in Hyderabad's IT corridor. But at around 1pm, that changed.
"We heard a loud noise from the flyover above. We first saw a sign board fly straight towards us. Even as we ran in all directions, people starting yelling. I looked up and saw a car come crashing down from the flyover. It crushed a woman who was barely a few metres away from me. It happened in a second," he narrates, visibly shaken.
A speeding car travelling at 104kmph on the newly-opened Biodiversity flyover lost control at 1.19 pm on Saturday and fell off the bridge, killing one and damaging other cars below. The police said that the driver, identified as Milan, survived the crash due to airbags that were deployed.
Shankar was part of a large crowd that had gathered outside the Care Hospital, close to the accident spot, where six injured people were admitted and a few others received first aid. The incident took place close to an autorickshaw stand, and several drivers were witness to it.
Pandu, another autorickshaw driver who witnessed the accident said, "I was looking at the road and saw the shadow of the car first. As I looked up, it was right over me. I was scared for my life. But it was hurtling in the air so fast, that it crossed the entire autorickshaw stand and rammed into a tree."
"I was speaking on the phone and I had passed the same spot just seconds ago when I heard a deafening noise behind me. My phone fell from my hand and I turned around to see people running in all directions and a lot of dust. It took me a moment to realise what had actually happened," one eye-witness, who did not wish to be named, said.
Eyewitnesses said that the car flipped over and fell on its roof, but the impact was such that it ricocheted and hit a tree, snapping its trunk. Several branches of the trees also came crashing down, injuring a few.
"The tree actually saved a car showroom right behind it. Otherwise the speed of the car was so high that it would have broken through the showroom's glass and damaged all the new vehicles inside," Pandu says.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Hair raising videos of the car which fell off the newly opened biodiversity flyover. One woman was killed in the accident.https://t.co/qGwFmZAyXy pic.twitter.com/cM9daAGFlN
— Bala (@naartthigan) November 23, 2019
Those who gathered, said that an autorickshaw driver, Balaji, was still undergoing treatment at Care Hospital, after receiving injuries on his back.
Many point out that the fatalities could have been more had it happened during a weekday.
"It was a weekend, so thankfully there was very little traffic in the area. Moreover, the signal from Biodiversity to Hitec City was red. If it had turned green, many more lives would have been lost," says Kranthi, a techie who witnessed the accident.
The deceased woman has been identified as Satyaveni. Her daughter was present with her at the spot, but escaped with minor injuries. Visuals of the incident that first surfaced showed her daughter screaming in horror as her mother was crushed by the car in front of her eyes.
At the hospital, she remained inconsolable as her family members huddled together.
The police said that the car was going at a speed of 104 km/hr when the accident took place, instead of the prescribed speed limit of 40 km/hr.
Distressed to hear about today’s accident on Biodiversity flyover. Prima facie it appears to be result of over speeding; have directed GHMC Engineer-in-Chief & @cpcybd to close the flyover & get speed control/safety measures in place & an independent expert committee evaluation
— KTR (@KTRTRS) November 23, 2019
The Biodiversity flyover is one-way, and begins at the DivyaSree Orion SEZ and ends after the Biodiversity Junction, heading towards IKEA. It was inaugurated just earlier this month, as part of the state government's Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and was constructed at a cost of Rs 69.47 crore.
However, this is the second accident to take place on the flyover in less than two weeks, as an allegedly drunk techie, had killed two people who had stopped to take selfies on the flyover on November 10.
The police have issued an advisory stating that "driving discipline and public behaviour play a crucial role in road safety."
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