Four passengers and the driver of an autorickshaw were injured after the front wheel of the vehicle came off and vehicle crashed into a divider on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The accident took place near Salt Lake’s Gate Number 1, close to the PNB Island intersection.
“The auto was headed towards the Ultadanga station from Karunamoyee bus stand,” an officer of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate’s traffic wing said.
One of the injured passengers, Anish Rahman, a resident of West Midnapore, has been admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
He suffered injuries on his head and had fractured one of his hands, the police said.
The four injured passengers and the driver were first taken to the Salt Lake sub-divisional hospital near Salt Lake City Centre from where Rahman was sent to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The other passengers and the driver had suffered cuts and bruises and were discharged from the sub-divisional hospital after treatment.
The driver of the autorickshaw lost control of the vehicle after its front wheel came off and the three-wheeler hit the divider before turning to its side.
The impact of the crash left the front windshield of the auto shattered, its headlight broken and at least three rods of the autorickshaw’s frame mangled.
A traffic policeman posted near Gate Number 1 said that he heard the screech of
brakes and the sound of a loud crash.
“We were managing traffic at the Salt Lake Gate Number 1 when we heard a loud noise and rushed towards the autorickshaw that had overturned on its side. We then helped the passengers as well as the driver get out of the vehicle. We managed to stop a couple of empty autos that were going towards the PNB crossing and sent the injured to the hospital in them,” the policeman said.
“The auto has been seized by the Bidhannagar North police station. The cops will conduct a test on the vehicle,” an officer of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate said.
“Our men on the ground said that the autorickshaw was headed towards Ultadanga station at a high speed. However, it is not clear how the wheel of the three-wheeler came off,” said the officer.
Several residents of Salt Lake said that it was not uncommon to find autorickshaws being driven at high speed in the township.