73-year-old's car goes amok, three pedestrians injured

Hyderabad: A 73-year-old retired civil engineer rammed his car into pedestrians on SP Road in Secunderabad on Saturday injuring three people. The driver, K. Srinivas Rao, told the police that he pressed the accelerator by mistake instead of the brake. Police booked a case against him for causing injury due to negligence. One of the victims, Abdul Raheem Ashram, 23, suffered serious injuries on his back and neck, while another victim, N. Narahari, the watchman of a nearby residential building, suffered fractures on his leg. Both were shifted to hospitals. Another victim, who suffered minor injuries, was given first aid.

The accident occurred near Himalaya Books while the driver was on way to Kondapur. “The car which was coming slowly after taking a turn at the junction suddenly sped towards us. The car hit three people and some bikes. It then hit the footpath and chain bandi before halting,” said an eyewitness named Siddiq. The victim, Abdul Raheem, got stuck under the car.

People lifted up the front of the car and pulled him out. The watchman was standing near the chai bandi at the time of the mishap. “None of us saw the sudden movement of the car,” said a witness. Police confiscated the car and detained the driver. “He claims to be driving since many years and this is his first accident,” said a cop from Gopalapuram police station.  Police is investigating whether his attention got diverted due to old age. Police said that they will check if the driver was fit to drive. His eye sight will also be checked.