An elderly person was killed in North Goa on Monday after a rented Thar SUV carrying a group of young tourists collided with his car at an intersection in Assagao, police said.
The deceased was identified as Bhagat Sharma, 65, a resident of Bhopal and was on holiday in Goa. The victim was driving a Hyundai i20 when the Thar car, which was speeding, collided with him, leaving him seriously injured.
According to eyewitnesses, while Sharma remained conscious following the accident, he was seriously injured. He was transported to the hospital by private ambulance after it took more than an hour for the emergency ambulance service to arrive. Sharma was traveling in the car with another woman and a five-year-old child, both of whom survived the accident and the latter emerged unharmed.
“There was a woman driving the Thar. The car was speeding and collided with the white hatchback. I helped the victims from the car. There was an elderly man who sustained serious injuries, especially to the head and skull. The other passenger was also injured, but the child was fine,” said Myron Fernandes, a local resident and an eyewitness.
The local citizen added: “After about an hour, they were transferred to the hospital by a private ambulance, and about 15 minutes after they left, the government ambulance arrived.”
At the time of the accident, a woman was driving the Thar, Fernandes said. However, immediately after the incident, the woman moved and sat in the passenger seat, in an alleged attempt to evade accountability. “The male member of the group went and sat in the driver’s seat after the accident,” he said.
A police officer, who requested anonymity, said: “The police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the driver of the rented jeep. The vehicle has been impounded, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events that led to the collision.”
