AGRA: A Delhi-based lawyer and his family were tragically killed in a car crash on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway under Fatehabad limits in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra district early Monday.
Omprakash Singh, 42, a lawyer practicing at the Delhi High Court, his wife Purnima, 34, their daughter Ahana, 12, and son Vinayak, 4, died on the spot, according to the police. The family, originally from Bihar’s Motihari district, was returning to their home in Uttam Nagar, Delhi, after attending the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.
The accident occurred around 12:30 a.m. when Omprakash reportedly lost control of the car. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Agra), Amar Deep, stated, “Preliminary investigations indicate the driver may have dozed off at the wheel. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and the family’s relatives have been informed.”
An eyewitness reported that the hatchback first collided with a roadside divider and overturned onto the opposite lane, where it was struck by a mini truck. The impact left the car severely mangled, and all four occupants succumbed to fatal injuries. Police officers from Fatehabad rushed to the scene, retrieved the bodies, and later used cranes to remove the wreckage from the expressway.
The Lucknow-Agra Expressway has been the site of numerous fatal accidents in recent months. In November last year, six family members lost their lives, and at least 20 others were injured when a tempo traveler crashed into a stationary canter on the expressway. Similarly, in December, eight people died and 19 were injured after a bus overturned following a collision with a water tanker in Kannauj.
According to a report by the Central Road Research Institute, around 40% of road accidents on the 302-km-long expressway are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel, highlighting the dangers of driver fatigue on long stretches of highway.
