Speeding car falls off flyover in India, kills pedestrian

An errant driver in India ended up causing a tragedy when a sharp bend sent his speeding car flying straight off a flyover.

One pedestrian was killed and three other bystanders were injured when the car careened off a flyover in Hyderabad, India and crashed onto a busy street on Nov 23, said media reports.

Chilling CCTV footage of the accident showed the shadow of a car suddenly appearing on a crowded street. Just seconds later, a red car crashed to the ground, rolled into a group of pedestrians and hit a tree.

The accident also caused a road sign to fall from the flyover, narrowly missing a woman who was walking on the side of the street just metres away from the falling car.

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A second video taken from the top of the flyover showed that the red car had been speeding and had lost control along a sharp bend in the road.

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Pasala Nagavenkata Satyaveni, a 40-year-old housewife, was killed instantly when she was hit by the falling car.

Her daughter, identified only as P Pranitha, 23, and two other pedestrians, were injured in the accident and are in stable condition.

The driver, Kalvakuntla Krishnamilan Rao, was taken to hospital with multiple injuries including a fractured clavicle and multiple abrasions.

Local police told reporters that Rao had been driving at 104kmh in a 40kmh zone.

A case for causing death due to negligence has been registered against Rao, said police.

In the meantime, local authorities have closed the flyover, which had only been opened on Nov 4, and will implement additional speed control measures.

Since the accident, experts have also pointed out design flaws in the flyover which presented safety risks.

S P Anchuri, the vice president Structural Engineers World Congress-India, told Times of India: "The structure is very strong and durable but when you look at the design aspect, it is very poorly designed."

"For every curve, there should be a transitional zone, which is missing," he added.

Shaik Salauddin, chairman of Telangana State Taxi and Drivers' Association, said, "Although the crash barrier on this flyover has been built according to the Indian Roads Congress standard, the local conditions and driving system should also be taken into consideration and the height should be increased accordingly.

"If that is done, drivers who are speeding will at least not fall off the bridge and kill others."

kimberlylim@asiaone.com