Six of a family die in motorway accident

Car hit dumper after tyre burst in Muridwala

FAISALABAD: Six members of a family, including two women and two children, were killed and two minors were injured when a car hit a dumper truck on a motorway in the Muridwala area on Wednesday.

The motorway was closed after the accident. The injured were shifted to a hospital after initial medical aid. Motorway police handed over the bodies to Muridwala police for completing the required proceedings.

Muridwala police started search for the dumper driver.

Muhammad Ikram, a resident of Kasur, was returning to the town along with his family after meeting his relatives in Bahawalpur when the tyre of his car exploded near Chak  312GB and it collided with the dumper. As a result, 32-year-old Ikram, his 40-year-old wife Musarrat Bibi, 28-year-old Rizwan, 40-year-old Nigina Bibi, five-year-old Adeel and eight-year-old Usman died on the spot.

Two other children, 10-year-old Abdullah, son of Ikram, and five-year-old Ahsan, son of Safdar, were injured. They were shifted to the Samundri Hospital after initial medical treatment. Motorway police handed over the bodies to Mureedwala police. The area police shifted the bodies to hospital for legal proceedings and started searching for the dumper driver.

However, police officials said the dumper driver did not appear to be at fault in the accident because the car's tyre burst and it went out of control. The front portion of the car was destroyed in the accident.

Commuters travelling on the motorway  stopped their vehicles to help rescue workers after the accident.

The number of traffic accidents in the area has decreased during the holiday season this year as compared to last year. A total of 11 people were killed in traffic accidents in Faisalabad city and its vicinity during the Eid holidays, while 300 people were injured. During the Eidul Fitr holidays last year,  21 people were killed in traffic accidents in and around Faisalabad, while about 350 were injured.

Most of the injured were young boys involved in one-wheeling, speeding and rash driving.

This year a large number of citizens did not allow their children to go out and the number of people travelling on the roads was also lower due to coronavirus.

Since the opening of the  motorway through Jaranwala, Samundri and Muridwala, at least 10 people have lost their lives in accidents during about one year, including police personnel.

Most of the accidents of motorcycles and cars have occurred in the city and the main reason is the increase in traffic. In this regard, traffic police officials say that U-turns inside the city are also causing accidents.

Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Ahtasham Wahla said youngsters speed up their motorcycles amid the crowd on all the roads of Faisalabad during Eid days, threatening their own and other people's lives. He said the number of accidents could be minimised by obeying the traffic laws. Eid holidays of all personnel of Rescue 1122 in Faisalabad were cancelled on Eid days to deal with accidents and other emergencies.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Traffic Officer Sardar Asif Khan said that special checkpoints were set up on main roads of the city on Eid to prevent traffic accidents. The aim was to stop the youngsters involved in speeding and one-wheeling. About 700 vehicles of 700 vehicles were stopped and fines were imposed against them over the violation of traffic laws. The official said parents should also not allow their children to go out on motorcycles and cars on such occasions.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2020.