Dehradun Innova Crash: Water Bottle Stuck Under Brake May Have Caused Accident

SSP Dehradun Ajai Singh said that the technical team of the Toyota that visited the crash site has found two reasons for the crash.

Dehradun: In a startling revelation into the November 12 accident between a Toyota Innova SUV and a truck in Uttarakhand's Dehradun which killed six youths, police Monday said a water bottle may have been stuck beneath the brake leading to the deadly mishap.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, SSP Dehradun Ajai Singh, citing inspection by Toyota officials, said over-speeding and a water bottle stuck beneath the brakes of the vehicle may have caused the accident. Police also ruled out racing between the ill-fated SUV and a red-coloured car before the accident.

The horrific road accident unfolded near ONGC Chowk in Dehradun on November 12 when the over-speeding SUV rammed into a stationary truck leading to the death of six youths and leaving another grievously injured. The impact of the crash also mangled the SUV.

SSP Dehradun Ajai Singh said that based on the CCTV camera footage along the route of the ill-fated SUV, the vehicle was seen over-speeding 500-700 meters ahead of the crash spot.

Did Racing With Red Car Cause The Crash?

The SSP Dehradun ruled out road racing between the wrecked SUV and another red-coloured car seen in the CCTV footage. “Seeing both the cars, the police was assuming racing, but nothing like this has come out in the investigation because the police has found the driver of that red car, who said he was going to Max hospital to visit an acquaintance,” SSP Dehradun said.

“When the red car reached near ONGC Chowk and saw that a container was parked in front, the driver stopped their car. But the Innova car coming from behind could not stop (due to over-speeding).

So What Caused The Fatal Crash?

According to SSP Dehradun, the technical team of Toyota, which visited the crash site, had to find out under what circumstances the Innova car could not stop. The Toyota's technical team has attributed the accident to two factors: over-speeding and a water bottle stuck under the brakes of the vehicle, SSP Dehradun said.

Police are waiting for the accident probe report being compiled by JP Research India Private Limited, a road safety research firm, which investigates accidents at the scene and studies the collected data with the aim of reducing deaths due to road accidents in India.

Police have also clarified the situation regarding the container with which the vehicle crashed. The container was earlier registered in the name of a firm in Chandigarh. The driver of the container, a resident of Saharanpur district of UP, is absconding after the crash.