Speeding SUV hits autorickshaw near Phillaur, 3 women killed, four hurt

A road accident near village Chhichhowal on the Phillaur-Nawanshahr highway claimed the lives of three women and left four others, including a child, seriously injured on Wednesday. The collision occurred between an autorickshaw and a speeding SUV, reportedly coming from the wrong side of the road.

According to witnesses and injured autorickshaw driver Nirmal Singh, he was carrying passengers from village Jhandapeer to Phillaur when the incident occurred. As he approached Chhichhowal, a high-speed SUV coming from the Phillaur side allegedly veered into the wrong lane and struck the autorickshaw head-on. The impact was so severe that the autorickshaw was completely damaged, and its passengers were thrown out.

Local social worker Matvinder Singh Sonu, who was following the autorickshaw in his vehicle, immediately rushed the injured to the Civil Hospital in Phillaur. However, doctors declared three women brought dead.The deceased have been identified as Rakhi, Sunita and Manjit Kaur.

All three women were residents of Kadiana village. The victims included a woman and her two daughters-in-law from the same family. The injured include Nirmal Singh (autorickshaw driver), Ranjit Kaur, Mukhtiar Singh and Amar Chand. All were admitted to the Phillaur Civil Hospital.

A girl Pari sustained injury on her leg and was referred to a private hospital in Jalandhar due to the severity of her injuries.

One woman from the same group, also a resident of Kadiana village, escaped unhurt as she had alighted from the autorickshaw just moments before the collision.

The autorickshaw driver recounted, “I was driving in my own lane when the SUV came speeding from the opposite direction and hit us directly. I had no time to react. The vehicle was completely out of control.”

A witness added, “The collision was brutal. The autorickshaw was overloaded. Some passengers died on the spot.”

Following the accident, the police arrived at the scene and took the bodies into custody for the post-mortem examination. Cops are investigating the cause and booked the car driver for reckless and negligent driving.