Four Killed in Delhi-Dehradun Expressway Accident After Driver Reverses on Flyover
Thirteen members of a family from Bahadurgarh, Haryana, embarked on a short trip to Haridwar on Friday in two cars. While one car moved ahead, the other, a hatchback carrying seven occupants, missed a turn on the newly opened Delhi-Dehradun expressway and took a flyover by mistake. The driver then decided to reverse the vehicle to ask for directions from an excavator operator nearby. During this reversal, an SUV struck the hatchback from behind, resulting in a fatal crash.
The accident occurred near the Halgoya cut in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Four family members lost their lives: eight-year-old Shivansh, his grandmother Sudhesh Devi (65), uncle Praveen (42), and aunt Preeti (33). Two others, including Praveen’s brother Jaidev, sustained serious injuries. Jaidev remains in hospital with an unstable condition, and the family has not yet informed him of his son Shivansh's death.
Satyadev, a relative who was in the other car, stated that the annual trip had been planned months in advance. The family left home at noon and the accident occurred around 3 pm. He urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide assistance to the surviving family members, who were financially dependent on Praveen and Jaidev.
The incident highlights a dangerous practice on expressways, where vehicles travel at speeds exceeding 100 km/h. Reversing or sudden braking after missing an exit is a common but often fatal error. Traffic authorities advise drivers to continue to the next exit and reroute safely, rather than attempting to correct the mistake on the high-speed carriageway.
