Car plunges into ditch on Delhi-Mumbai expressway, teen dies:Entire family injured; father claims no help came in Ratlam

A 14-year-old girl was killed and four members of her family were injured in a road accident on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway early Sunday morning. The accident occurred at around 5 a.m. near the Dhamnod toll plaza in Ratlam district, Madhya Pradesh, when a car travelling towards Surat lost control and plunged nearly 20 feet into a roadside ravine. According to police, the vehicle was carrying Vicky Kumar (35), his wife Rani Devi, their daughter Deepa Kumari (14), and their two sons, Pritam (5) and Piyush (7), all residents of Gopalganj district in Bihar. The family was returning to Surat, Gujarat, where Vicky Kumar is involved in the textile business. Family had stopped overnight to rest According to Vicky Kumar, the family had parked their car near the Dhamnod toll plaza on Saturday night to rest during the journey. “We resumed our trip at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. I was driving at a speed of about 80 to 90 km/h,” he said. See pictures after the accident Driver alleges truck collision led to crash Vicky Kumar claimed that approximately 20 to 25 minutes after restarting the journey, a truck overtook his vehicle. He alleged that the rear portion of the truck struck the car. “I tried to move the car to the left to avoid a collision, but the vehicle broke through the divider railing and fell into the ravine,” he said. Police are investigating the claim and have not yet confirmed whether the truck made contact with the car. Father breaks door to rescue family Vicky Kumar said it was still dark when the accident occurred. Apart from minor injuries, he was able to free himself and break open a door of the overturned vehicle. He first pulled out his daughter, who had suffered a severe head injury and was unconscious. He then rescued his wife and two young sons from the wreckage. Family claims help did not arrive immediately According to Vicky Kumar, he repeatedly called for help after the accident, but no one initially came forward to assist. He said he appealed to people nearby to contact emergency services. Some bystanders eventually made the calls, after which an ambulance arrived and transported the injured family members to a medical college hospital for treatment. Rescue operation conducted by police Officers from Rawti Police Station reached the scene and launched a rescue operation. A crane was used to recover the heavily damaged car from the ravine. Deepa Kumari’s body was sent to the medical college for a post-mortem examination. Police investigating cause of accident Police have begun an investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash. Authorities are examining whether the accident occurred due to contact with the truck, driver error, or any other factor. Family was returning to Surat after engagement ceremony Vicky Kumar said he currently lives in Parsana village under the Tapi district area of Gujarat near Surat. He had travelled to his native village in Bihar on May 21 to attend the engagement ceremony of his younger brother, Rakesh. The ceremony was held on Thursday, and the family began their return journey on Friday evening. According to Kumar, they drove continuously through Friday night and most of Saturday before stopping near the Dhamnod toll plaza at around 11 p.m. to rest inside the car with the air conditioning running. After waking up at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday and resuming their journey, the family met with the accident less than half an hour later.