Horrific Accident: Couple Dies After Being Hit Twice On Delhi-Mumbai Expressway As Car Lies Undetected For 8 Hours
Horrific Accident: Couple Dies After Being Hit Twice On Expressway As Car Lies Undetected For 8 Hours
Family alleges negligence as CCTV shows two collisions and no help from passing vehicles.
A couple travelling toward Delhi lost their lives on the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway after their mangled Wagon-R remained unnoticed for nearly eight hours despite hundreds of vehicles passing the spot. Investigators reviewing CCTV footage found that the car was struck twice, with both vehicles involved fleeing without checking on the victims.
The footage shows the couple, Lachhi Ram, 42, and Kusum Lata, 38, driving around midnight when a speeding vehicle cut across lanes. To avoid a collision, Ram swerved into the extreme-left lane, where the car hit a multi-axle dumper loaded with stones. The impact deployed the airbags and wedged the doors shut, trapping the occupants inside. A senior police officer said the couple “survived the crash but were injured” and seemed unable to exit the vehicle.
Twenty-two minutes later, at 12.14am, a white Maruti Ertiga rammed into the already crushed car, pushing it forward with force. The officer added, “The Ertiga driver did not stop to check on the victims, and instead reversed and fled.” Details of both vehicles have been captured on expressway cameras and efforts to trace the drivers are under way.
For the family, the deeper trauma lies in what followed. The wrecked car remained by the roadside from midnight until 7.38am, when villagers finally spotted it and alerted police. Ram’s father said, “This is not how they should have died… to die waiting for help that never came – how can the authorities be so irresponsible?” His maternal uncle questioned how patrol vehicles failed to notice the wreck, saying, “How could everyone miss an entire mangled car with two persons trapped and bleeding inside?”
Relatives said the couple might have survived had help arrived in time. “My sister-in-law had no visible injuries. She might have survived with timely help,” said Deepak Singh, Ram’s cousin. “Ram had severe head injuries and broken legs, but even then, if someone had stopped…”
Local authorities acknowledged serious gaps in monitoring. Nuh deputy commissioner Akhil Pilani said, “It will not be appropriate if I comment… without going through the details. However, I can assure that stern action will be taken if anyone’s negligence is found.” PK Kaushik, NHAI project director (Sohna), described it as a major failure in surveillance, saying, “This is a severe lapse in monitoring and supervision. This should not have happened at all. We will take strict action against the erring persons.”
The couple leave behind four children aged 11 to 17. Ram, who had risen from daily-wage labourer to building contractor, had moved his family to Delhi for a better future. His eldest daughter had just begun UPSC coaching, a dream he had hoped to fulfil for her.
