In a devastating incident on the Raipur-Ratanpur National Highway, a tragic head-on collision between a speeding trailer and a Scorpio claimed four lives late Wednesday night. The accident, which occurred due to the trailer being driven on the wrong side, has sent shockwaves through the region as details emerged that the victims were returning from a 25th wedding anniversary celebration.
The fatal Bilaspur road accident took place around 2 AM near Yadav Dhaba in Gram Sambalpuri. Preliminary investigations by the Sakari police reveal that a trailer (registered CG 11 BD 9044), travelling from Sakri towards Ratanpur, lost control and veered onto the wrong side of the highway, crashing head-on into an oncoming Scorpio (CG 04 MQ 4220).
Gas Cutters Used to Extract Victims from Wreckage
The impact of the trailer-Scorpio collision was so violent that the Scorpio was completely mangled, trapping all five occupants inside. The errant trailer, after the initial hit, also collided with another stationary trailer before overturning on the road.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but the condition of the vehicle posed a severe challenge. "We had to use gas cutters to slice through the metal chassis of the Scorpio," a police official at the scene stated. "It took us nearly two hours of painstaking effort to pull the occupants out." By the time the rescue operation was complete, four of the five passengers had already succumbed to their injuries.
Family’s Joyous Occasion Turns into Tragedy
In a heartbreaking twist, it was discovered that the family in the Scorpio had just attended a silver anniversary celebration for a relative at the very dhaba near where the accident happened. They were heading back home when tragedy struck just a short distance away.
The deceased have been identified as:
- Chhatrapal Ratre (37), a resident of Kuvagaon, Bilaspur.
- Vishal Lehren (25), a resident of Birgahni, Mungeli.
- Anmol Lehren (14), a resident of Birgahni, Mungeli.
- Sonu Miri (28), a resident of Kota.
The sole survivor and injured passenger, Prakash Ratre from Kuvagaon, is currently receiving treatment at SIMS Hospital in Bilaspur. His condition is reported to be critical but stable.
Highway Safety Under Scanner
Following the incident, a large crowd gathered at the spot, and police had to deploy a crane to remove the overturned trailer and clear the Raipur-Ratanpur highway, which was blocked for several hours.
The Sakari police have arrested the driver of the trailer responsible for the wrong side accident. He is in custody as authorities conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
This tragic event highlights the persistent dangers posed by reckless driving and wrong-side manoeuvring on national highways. Local road safety advocates are once again calling for stricter patrolling and the installation of more crash barriers and dividers on this particularly vulnerable stretch of the highway to prevent such Bilaspur road accidents in the future.
