Infrastructure blamed: Fatal road accidents claim nine lives

Most of victims died when their vehicles hit poles, footpath

LAHORE: At least nine people died and five were injured in three different road accidents in Lahore on Sunday.

In Nawab Town, six friends were returning to their houses in Sabzazar after having breakfast at their friend’s house near Bahria Town. When they reached near Green Fort, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree by the roadside.

The car overturned and two of the six friends fell out of it. The vehicle rolled ahead until it reached the greenbelt and hit an electricity pole. The two who fell out of the car were the only ones who survive as the other four died on the spot.

In another such incident, four people died while two others were injured when a car hit an electricity poll on Mall Road near Race Course, according to rescue sources.

Six persons were on board a car late at night. When the vehicle reached near Pearl Continent Hotel a person, one-wheeling on a motorbike, came in front of the car. In an attempt to save him, the driver of the car lost control of the steering, running into an electricity pole. Three of the passengers died on the spot, while the other three were admitted in a hospital nearby, said the rescue sources. However, one of the injured persons succumbed to the wounds in the morning.



Later, DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf told The Express Tribune, the person on the driving seat was driving recklessly which is why the car first hit a motorcycle and then a pole near PC Hotel, he said. Three persons were on that motorcycle, one of which died, the DIG said.

In Gulberg, a couple was on a motorbike. When they reached Cavalry Bridge near Firdous Market, the person riding the bike lost control of the vehicle due to speeding, hitting the footpath. The man, Amjad, died on the spot while his wife was injured.

Sajid, a traffic warden, said poor road infrastructure is the main reason of accidents. There ditches in the middle of roads, he said, asking what would a driver do in such a case, he questioned.

Another warden said commuters often did not follow traffic rules. They would not turn on the indicator before taking a left or right turn, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2016.