KOLKATA: Four people were injured — two of them seriously — after a Ferrari lost control, crashed into a lamp post and then a tree on Hospital Road near the rear of Victoria Memorial around 7.40 am on Wednesday. The impact was so severe that the luxury car split into two pieces.
Among the injured is 48-year-old Amrit Singh Saini of New Alipore, believed to have been behind the wheel. While locals and officers from the South Traffic Guard said Saini’s son was also inside the vehicle, Lalbazar did not confirm this. Sources added that the second occupant escaped with minor injuries. Saini is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Alipore.
There were also unverified claims linking the family to a car showroom business, though TOI was unable to reach the Saini family for confirmation.
One of the other victims, 55-year-old Rashida Bibi of Ramganga in South 24 Parganas, was working as a PWD cleaning staffer in the Maidan area when the speeding car reportedly ran over her feet. She has been admitted to SSKM Hospital’s orthopaedic unit. “She may not require amputation, but her condition remains serious,” an officer said. Onlookers alleged that another PWD worker was hurt as well, but police have not verified this.
Police sources said the Ferrari was travelling well above the permitted speed limit, cutting across Alipore Zoo and Zeerut Bridge before turning right onto AJC Bose Road and then left onto Hospital Road.
“Preliminary findings suggest the driver lost control midway down the stretch. The vehicle hit a lamp post at high speed, swerved, crossed to the opposite side, and crashed into a roadside tree. Two women were injured in the process,” an officer said. Investigators are also examining the likelihood that the car may have flipped over a median before the first impact. With no CCTV footage available, police said they will rely on Saini’s statement and conduct a mechanical examination of the wrecked vehicle, possibly with assistance from company engineers.
The damaged car has been taken to Hastings Police Station.
Officers are also probing who was actually at the wheel. “There are several theories, including that the driver may have been giving a lesson to the other occupant. We are verifying every allegation and trying to identify everyone present in the car at that time,” a police official said.
