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Truck Jumps Divider, Crushes Car and Bike After Hitting Punjab Roadways Bus, Overspeeding Suspected as Key Cause; Police Launch Probe
Gharaunda (Karnal): At least four people lost their lives and five others were injured after a speeding truck rammed into multiple vehicles on National Highway-44 near Gharaunda on Wednesday morning, police said. The identities of the deceased are yet to be established.
The horrific accident took place around 9 am when the truck, travelling towards Gharaunda, allegedly lost control, jumped the central divider and entered the opposite carriageway. The out-of-control vehicle first smashed into a Punjab Roadways bus heading from Delhi to Amritsar, triggering panic among passengers. After the initial impact, the truck mowed down a motorcycle and then crushed a car, killing two occupants of the car and two riders on the bike on the spot.
“In a matter of minutes, four people lost their lives. The sound of the crash was terrifying,” said an eyewitness.
Another witness, Jagdish, who was travelling from Panipat to Karnal, recounted the sequence of events. “The truck suddenly crossed the divider at high speed and first hit the bus. Passengers screamed in panic. Seconds later, it struck the motorcycle and dragged the car under its wheels for several metres,” he said. The car was completely mangled, while the truck finally overturned near the service lane railing, leaving behind twisted metal and debris scattered across the highway.
Gharaunda SHO Inspector Deepak and police teams rushed to the scene immediately. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. The truck driver was rescued by breaking the windshield, while two victims remained trapped inside the crushed car and had to be extricated using cutters by rescue teams.
The bodies of the deceased have been shifted to Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) for post-mortem examination.
Preliminary investigation suggests that overspeeding was the primary cause of the accident. “The scale of destruction indicates that the truck was being driven at an extremely high speed. We are investigating all angles,” the SHO said.
Traffic on the busy NH-44 remained disrupted for over an hour as police cleared the wreckage and restored movement.
