MLA’s Toyota Fortuner on wrong side of the road crashes into oncoming truck; 5 dead

BJP’s Bijnore MLA Lokendra Singh died, along with three others, who were also traveling with him in his Toyota Fortuner. Mr. Singh was 45 years old. His new Fortuner, on the wrong side of the road, collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction. It’s unclear as to how the MLA’s SUV ended up directly facing the truck, as the images seem to indicate.

The accident happened early in the morning, when the MLA was heading to Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit held at Lucknow, the capital of the state. Some accounts mention that the MLA’s SUV, was driven at high speed, and that the driver lost control, leading the vehicle to jump the divider, directly onto the path of the oncoming truck. The momentum of the impact seems huge.

Other accounts say that the SUV was speeding on the wrong side of the road, and it then rammed into the oncoming truck. The truck driver too has died in this gruesome accident. While MLA Singh and his driver died on the spot, two of his gunners from UP’s police force – Brijesh Mishra, 28, and Deepak Kumar, 30, lost their lives when they were being taken to a hospital.

Images of the aftermath show that all 7 airbags of the new Fortuner – considered to be a safe and well-built SUV – have deployed during the accident. However, it’s unclear as to whether the occupants of the vehicle were wearing seatbelts.

Not wearing seatbelts in some cars, can lead to the airbags not deploying. In other cars, not wearing seatbelts can result in the airbags severely injuring the occupants. For safety’s sake, it’s imperative that everyone wear seatbelts in a car, irrespective of whether or not it’s equipped with airbags.

Expressing his condolences at the demise of the BJP MLA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out this tweet earlier today,

Anguished by the demise of BJP MLA from Noorpur, Shri Lokendra Singh Ji due to an accident. His service towards society and role in building the BJP in UP will always be remembered. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 21, 2018