Patna: Three police personnel narrowly escaped serious injury after a speeding dumper truck rammed into an emergency Dial 112 vehicle from behind in Bihar’s capital Patna on Saturday morning, police said.
The incident took place near Bhakhari Bridge under the jurisdiction of Dhanrua police station, where the impact of the collision pushed the police vehicle to the side of the road.
According to police officials, the dumper driver attempted to flee the scene following the crash but lost control of the vehicle shortly afterwards and struck a roadside railing. The vehicle then caught fire and was quickly engulfed in flames.
Assistant sub-inspector Mohammad Aslam Qureshi, female constable Munni Kumari and the Dial 112 vehicle’s driver, Dilip Kumar, were inside the police vehicle at the time of the crash. All three sustained minor injuries but managed to exit the vehicle safely.
Police said the team had been responding to a complaint of harassment in a nearby village when the accident occurred.
Munni Kumari, a constable posted at Dhanrua police station, said the team had just reached the area near Bhakhari Bridge when the speeding truck crashed into their vehicle from behind. She said she injured her leg in the collision and was shaken by the incident.
Qureshi said the force of the impact pushed the police vehicle off the road and caused significant damage to it.
Police later detained the cleaner of the truck, identified as Pankaj Kumar, a resident of Jehanabad district, while the driver fled the scene.
A fire brigade team arrived shortly after the accident and took nearly two hours to extinguish the blaze. By the time the fire was brought under control, the dumper truck had been completely destroyed. The incident also led to temporary traffic disruption in the area.
Dilip Kumar, who was driving the Dial 112 vehicle, said the outcome could have been far worse if the truck had struck them head-on, which might have overturned their vehicle.
Police said efforts are under way to locate the absconding driver and identify the owner of the dumper truck. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
