Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): A government pediatrician died on the spot, and his 80-year-old father-in-law later succumbed to injuries after their car collided with the divider on the Ratlam-Indore four-lane highway on Sunday night.
Five other family members travelling in the car sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital.
The accident occurred on the Ratlam-Indore four-lane highway late Sunday night while returning to Ratlam from Bhopal with his family.
According to the report, the deceased was identified as Dr Manish Singh, and his father-in-law was Shivnarayan Rajauria, a resident of Gwalior.
Dr Manish Singh, his wife, Stephanie Gupta, their two daughters, Raina and Sayana (7), driver Ajay Gupta, his wife, Lovelina Gupta, and Shivnarayan Rajauria were in the car. They were all returning to Ratlam from Bhopal.
Preliminary police investigations indicate that the accident occurred because the driver dozed off at the wheel.
The crash took place around 3:30 AM on Sunday at the divider of a small culvert, located before the toll plaza beyond Dharad.
Upon receiving the information, an ambulance from the toll plaza and a police team from Bilpank station rushed to the scene.
Assistant Sub-Inspector and his team, with the help of locals, extricated the injured and transported them to the Government Medical College Hospital.
Dr Manish Singh was posted in Ratlam about a year ago. Before this, he served as a Deputy Director with the National Health Mission in Bhopal.
In June, he had also shouldered the responsibility of acting Chief Medical and Health Officer for over a month while the then CMHO, Dr Sandhya Belsare, was on leave. He was originally a resident of Gwalior.
Bilpank Station House Officer stated that the driver dozed off, causing the vehicle to lose control and collide with the culvert's divider.
The police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into all aspects of the accident.
