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A late-night birthday outing turned tragic in the wee hours of Sunday when a speeding car driven allegedly by a minor crashed into an SUV at the busy Verka Milk Plant crossing on the Ludhiana–Ferozepur road, killing a 16-year-old girl on the spot and leaving five other teenagers injured. A pet (dog) in the car also died.
The accident occurred around 2.30 am when a Baleno car, coming from Bharat Nagar Chowk side at a high speed, rammed into an Innova that was taking a U-turn at the crossing. The collision was so severe that both vehicles were badly mangled, and the Baleno skidded several metres ahead before coming to a halt.
The injured have been rushed to a hospital, where the condition of three has been stated critical.
Police said the Baleno was being driven by a 16-year-old boy, who is also among the injured and remains critical. The group of three girls and two boys, all around 16 years of age, had reportedly gone to a restaurant on Mall Road to celebrate the birthday of one of them and were returning to Omaxe Residency. The juvenile driver is said to be the son of a local politician.
Assistant commissioner of police (West) Jatinderpal Singh said overspeeding and underage driving were the primary factors behind the crash. “The minor driver lost control at the crossing when the Innova was taking a U-turn. Though the airbags opened, the impact proved fatal for one of the girls,” he said.
Innova driver Sukhwinder Singh of Payal tehsil escaped unhurt. Passersby alerted the police and helped shift the injured to the hospital. Police are recording the statements of the victim’s family and have initiated proceedings for causing death by negligence. CCTV footage from Safe City cameras near the spot is being examined to reconstruct the sequence of events.
A late-night birthday celebration ended in tragedy when a speeding car driven by a 16-year-old minor crashed into an SUV in Ludhiana, killing a girl and injuring five others. The accident, caused by overspeeding, occurred at 2:30 am, with the driver also critically injured. Police are investigating the incident, aided by CCTV footage.
