First death on Yamuna Expressway

GREATER NOIDA: A fun trip to Taj Mahal turned tragic for a family when the Maruti Zen they were travelling in collided with a truck near Jewar in Greater Noida on the Yamuna Expressway . This is the first fatal accident on the expressway since it opened on August 9.
While Rahul Singhal (35), who was driving the car, died on the way to hospital, his wife, Nisha Singhal (32), elder son Naman (11) and younger son Akshat (7) were injured in the crash, police said.“Nisha received injuries to the face and Naman escaped with minor bruises. Akshat, however, suffered serious head injuries and was admitted to the ICU of Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida,” said deputy SP (Jewar) Rajkumar Mishra. The Singhals are residents of Maurya Enclave in Pitampura. Akshat has now been moved to Balaji Action Hospital in Paschim Vihar. Rahul's parents are currently in London. “His parents have gone to visit his brother, who works there,” said Subhas Goel, Nisha's uncle.
Rahul had a factory of novelty items in Shastri Nagar. Police said the the family was returning from Gwalior and had stop by to visit Taj Mahal. The accident took place on the Agra-Greater Noida stretch of the expressway. “Around 10.30pm when their car had crossed the Jewar toll plaza and was about 30km from the zero point of Greater Noida, it crashed into a moving truck,” said
Mishra.
Relatives said the family had gone to Gwalior on August 23 to attend a function. Police said the driver probably lost control of the car, which hit the moving truck from behind and then overturned. “Rahul could have dozed off for a few seconds or may have missed the truck in the darkness,” Mishra said. “The e-way officials said the car had four occupants, three of whom were later taken to Kailash Hospital and one had died,” added Mishra.
Officials at Jaypee, however, had a different version. An official looking after the security said the Zen hit with the divider and overturned. “The truck may have suddenly appeared ahead of Rahul and to avoid hitting it, he may swerved to the right, hitting the central verge and flipping over on the right side, injuring Rahul who was behind the wheel,” said Qamar Ahmad from Jaypee Infratech.
“Our ambulance and patrol cars were alerted and were the first to respond to the emergency. The injured were extricated from the wreckage and rushed to the first-aid centre at the Jewar toll plaza,” Ahmad said. “While Rahul died on the way to the centre, Nisha, Naman and Akshat were taken to Kailash Hospital around 3.30am,” he said.
The family, meanwhile, has alleged that the truck was stationary and Rahul’s car rammed it on the expressway. “They have made such a big expressway with a hefty toll, but there are no streetlights. It's a major safety hazard, especially during the rains,” said Nisha's
uncle. The Gautam Budh Nagar police are yet to take any action or file a case. “No one from the family has registered a complaint as yet,” Mishra said. “The truck driver also did not stop after the accident,” the cop said. “We will investigate the reason for the accident,” said SP (rural) Ashok Kumar.
(With inputs from Esha Mahajan)