A tragic irony unfolded in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district when Dharmendra Gupta, a man who made his living selling helmets with the slogan "If your head is safe, your life is safe," lost his life in a road accident because he wasn't wearing one himself.
On Monday night, Gupta was riding a motorcycle without a helmet whilst distributing wedding invitation cards for his friend's sister's marriage. He suffered a fatal head injury when an unidentified vehicle collided with his bike. Two other young men riding with him are in critical condition.
On Tuesday, relatives and acquaintances could only express regret, wondering if Gupta's life might have been saved had he been wearing a helmet. Dharmendra Gupta, along with his brothers Bhure and Viresh, sold helmets in Tamil Nadu. He had returned to his village to celebrate Diwali and Bhai Dooj when his friend Ravi asked for help distributing wedding cards for his sister's marriage scheduled for November.
On Monday, when Ravi requested assistance with distributing the wedding invitations, Dharmendra and his friend Nitin accompanied him. The three rode together on a single motorcycle throughout the day, distributing cards to relatives. While returning home at night, an unidentified vehicle struck their bike between Guraiya and Albela villages.
Bystanders admitted all three to a government hospital. Dharmendra died during treatment, whilst Ravi and Nitin remain under medical care. Dharmendra had been riding the motorcycle at the time of the accident. Family members stated that whilst he regularly wore a helmet, he had forgotten to do so on Monday.
