Family waits through the night as tragedy unfolds by dawn:Speeding car smashes railing and falls into 20-foot-deep canal near dhaba, 3 young men die

“It was around midnight. A speeding car came and smashed through the railing before plunging into a 20-foot-deep canal. The impact was so loud that everyone nearby was startled.” This account was given by Akash Masram, a dhaba worker in Itarsi. He was present at the dhaba on Friday night when a car fell into the Pathrota canal. The accident claimed the lives of three friends — Lucky Patel (30), Abhay Chauhan (19) and Shivam Tiwari (26). Postmortems of all three were conducted on Saturday. Police suspect that the car lost control after hitting a speed breaker near the dhaba while travelling at high speed, following which it veered off and fell into the canal. The Dainik Bhaskar team reached the spot and spoke to eyewitness Akash Masram, and later met the families of the deceased at the postmortem house. Eyewitness account of the accident… The old highway runs from Itarsi towards Betul. About three kilometres ahead lies the Pathrota main canal, which carries water from the Tawa Dam towards Harda. A culvert about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide has been constructed over the canal, with cement railings on both sides. Thousands of vehicles pass through this stretch daily. Two dhabas operate near the canal, one of which employs Akash Masram. He witnessed the car falling into the canal. According to Akash, he was at work as usual on Friday night when, around midnight, a speeding car suddenly appeared. It hit the canal railing on the wrong side and plunged straight into the water. The crash was so loud that people nearby rushed towards the canal, but by then the car had already submerged. The car’s headlights were still on. The occupants were banging on the window glass and shouting for help, asking to be pulled out. It appeared that the car doors had locked, preventing them from escaping. “I jumped into the water to save them,” Akash said. “But it was dark and the water current was strong. I could not locate the car and had to return.” Those present informed the police. A police post is located barely 100 metres away, and officers reached the spot immediately. A crane was called to retrieve the car from the canal. A search operation was launched, but it was already too late. The car could only be pulled out after two and a half hours. Kept waiting for dinner at night At the postmortem house, Rakesh Chauhan, father of Abhay alias Abhi Chauhan, stood silently, struggling to speak. He said his parents and Lucky’s mother had gone to Vaishno Devi for pilgrimage. “Abhi called around 10 pm,” he said. “I asked when he would return. He said it would be late as they were in Seoni Malwa. I asked if he had eaten. He said no and asked me to cook rice. I told him to bring Lucky along as well.” When Abhi did not return even by midnight, the family grew worried. Calls were made to Abhi and Lucky, but neither phone connected. Rakesh and Abhi’s mother sat awake on the sofa all night, waiting for some news. At dawn, a relative named Sonu called. When Rakesh asked about Abhi, Sonu said, “That’s why I’m calling. Please come to the hospital. Lucky is here.” “I reached the hospital in the same clothes I was wearing,” Rakesh said. “I thought they had met with an accident and couldn’t answer their phones. At the hospital gate, my relatives took my hand and led me inside. I didn’t understand what was happening. Then someone said Abhi is no more. My breath stopped.” “When I asked about Lucky, they said he had also passed away. I had one son and one daughter. My son has left me forever. Everything is finished.” Lucky was the only earning member of the family A short distance away, under a tree, Lucky Patel’s uncle was seen crying. He said Lucky’s mother had gone to Vaishno Devi with Abhi’s grandparents and they did not know how to break the news to her. Lucky was the only earning member of the family. He worked with Abhi in air-conditioning and electrical fitting. His father had passed away earlier, and his elder brother had drowned in the Narmada river 12 years ago. Lucky was still a child at the time. Now, Lucky too is gone. He is survived by two sisters, the elder of whom is married.. Was worried about son, so called him to Itarsi The father of the third victim, Mahesh Tiwari, struggled to speak. He said Shivam often went out with his friends and had informed him before leaving that he was with Lucky and Abhi, and would return late. Shivam had been working in Delhi, but his father was worried and wanted him closer to home. On his insistence, Shivam returned to Itarsi and took up a job at an SBI credit card branch. Mahesh said he was attending a wedding with family members that night and had already spoken to Shivam. He went to sleep without calling again and learnt about the accident only at 6 am. “I don’t know how or why the accident happened,” he said. “The truth is that my elder son has left us forever.” Shivam’s younger brother Varun Tiwari, a photographer, said, “I met my brother in the evening. He left in the morning. We thought we would meet again in the evening. Now… never again.”