DU student dead, 4 friends hurt as SUV crashes into guardrail

A 19-year-old Delhi University student died and his four friends were injured after their speeding SUV crashed into a guardrail, which pierced through the vehicle, near Rajghat early on Thursday.

They were returning from Gurugram after celebrating the teenager’s birthday. Aishwarya Pandey, BA student at Deshbandhu College, was admitted to LNJP Hospital where he was put on ventilation support. He died late on Thursday.

The police suspect that the students were under the influence of alcohol. However, one student said the one who was driving the car got distracted while changing songs on his mobile phone.

The accident occurred when a black Hyundai Venue crashed into the side railings of the Geeta Colony Flyover. All five were college students returning from a late-night birthday celebration.

According to the police, a PCR call was received at 5.52 am reporting the accident. Officers from the Kotwali police station, including Sub-Inspector Suresh Kumar, rushed to the scene and found the heavily damaged vehicle on the flyover.

Pandey had borrowed the car for his birthday celebration on September 18. He handed the keys to his friend, Aishwarya Mishra, who was driving at the time of the accident. Pandey was seated behind the driver. Mishra, also 19 and a student at Dayal Singh College, is in critical condition.

The vehicle, carrying five passengers, was speeding along the ISBT slip road toward Geeta Colony when the driver lost control, causing the collision with the divider. Keshav Kumar, a 19-year-old student seated in the front passenger seat, and Krishna, an 18-year-old student from Moti Lal College seated in the back, escaped with minor injuries. Another passenger, Ujjwal, a 19-year-old third-year student at Dayal Singh College, who was seated in the back left, also sustained minor injuries.

A case has been registered for rash driving and negligence.