Ramnagar, India — A tragic crash on National Highway 309 claimed the life of 24-year-old Yatish Yadav, a promising national-level basketball player, early Friday morning. The collision occurred when Yadav’s Mahindra Scorpio SUV collided head-on with a dumper truck near Pirumadara, leaving his wife, Sheetal Yadav, a doctor, with critical injuries.
Officials reported that the accident took place between 1:20 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. Witnesses in the area alerted authorities after observing a truck strike the vehicle. Local police swiftly responded to the scene, as confirmed by Ramnagar Station House Officer Sushil Kumar.
According to Yadav’s father, the couple had embarked on a late-night drive from their home in Shahpur Bametha, Ghaziabad, to Nainital, following the Kashipur-Ramnagar route. They had set off Thursday, October 1, intending to reach their destination overnight when the fatal incident occurred just hours into their journey.
Yatish Yadav, who worked as a private school teacher, had been married to Sheetal for approximately four months. Now, his family is grappling with the sudden and devastating loss while calling for accountability regarding the collision. Suresh Yadav, the victim’s father, claims that the dumper truck’s driver was trying to overtake another vehicle when the crash happened. In his view, the careless maneuvering led to the truck veering into oncoming traffic, resulting in the head-on collision that upended their SUV, trapping the couple inside.
Suresh Yadav insisted that negligence on the part of the dumper driver caused the accident and demanded a thorough investigation to ensure justice. Following his complaint, police have opened a case against the unidentified driver, who reportedly fled the scene immediately after the crash. Officers have identified the truck involved by its registration number and are actively searching for the driver.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities have seized Yatish’s body for a postmortem examination to gather additional details about the incident. The Yadav family’s narrative is currently the only account available regarding the events leading up to the crash, as questions remain about how the dumper truck ended up in the lane of oncoming traffic. Police are analyzing the condition of both vehicles involved in the collision, where the wreckage settled, and the behavior of the dumper truck leading up to the incident.
“Nainital attracts many travelers, making National Highway 309 a busy thoroughfare,” police noted, highlighting that the road sees heavy tourist and commercial vehicle traffic. The highway is a vital route that connects populous areas to the scenic Kumaon hills, often complicating travel conditions with commercial traffic.
As the community mourns the loss of a young athlete and educator, concerns about road safety and the behavior of heavy vehicles on dual-purpose highways are likely to resurface amid ongoing investigations.