Four killed as truck rams into auto, car, pedestrian

Rajkot: Four persons, including a pedestrian, were killed and two seriously injured when a truck rammed an autorickshaw and a car near the bus station of Sardhar village of Rajkot taluka on Saturday. The truck driver was detained by the police, who are yet to ascertain his identity.
Police identified the deceased as Bhupat Niranjan (40) and his wife Meena Niranjan (38), residents of RMC Quarters in Navalnagar area, who were seated in the autorickshaw; Rasila Somani (28), a resident of Raningpar village in Jasdan taluka, who was inside the car, and Ekta Parmar (20), a resident of Pipadia village in Chotila taluka of Surendranagar district, who was at the bus station. Those injured have been identified as Nimu Sakaria (45) and Smruti Joshi (18), residents of Bhandaria village in Jasdan taluka. Of the deceased, Nima Niranjan was head constable with the Rajkot rural police, while Ekta Parmar was student of MCom and going to her village after appearing in an exam in Rajkot. As her village is situated near Sardhargam, she came to Sardhargam to catch a bus to her village.

“The truck that caused the accident was carrying iron rods and going from Rajkot towards Bhavnagar. The car and the rickshaw were coming to Rajkot. The truck lost control when its brakes failed. The driver was shouting at the top of his voice, warning pedestrians to move away. However, as the road passes through the middle of the village and it was a busy afternoon, before the car driver, rickshaw driver or pedestrians could realize, the truck rammed into them,” Aji Dam police station sub-inspector F R Rathwa said. The truck then rammed into a pile of cement blocks placed near a shop and came to a halt. The truck driver did not run away and waited till the cops came to surrender himself.