The first incident occurred when a multi-axle dumper truck pushed the couple's Wagon-R; the second, 22 minutes later. Police got alerted 8 hours later.

The family of a Delhi couple, who died after being left trapped in a mangled car on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway last week, has questioned the apathy of the authorities and the public, which might have led to the two deaths.

42-year-old Lacchi Ram and 38-year-old Kusum Lata diaed last Tuesday after their WagonR was hit twice in 22 minutes, with both drivers leaving the couple trapped in the car, bleeding. Several vehicles passed the mangled car, but none stopped to help as the couple remained in the car for 8 hours before their bodies were discovered.

“How could everyone miss an entire mangled car with two persons trapped and bleeding inside. It clearly means that either they were negligent or that all patrols are only taking place on paper. We were told that National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) patrol vehicles pass every hour. How did they not see the crushed car?” Nahar Singh, Ram’s maternal uncle, said.

The 62-year-old Singh stated that the family was informed that the expressway stretch is monitored by both the NHAI and local police units. “Where were police patrol teams? They would have survived if timely help had been extended.”

The accident and the 8-hour-long wait

The first incident occurred when a multi-axle dumper truck pushed the couple's Wagon-R into the side lane; the second, 22 minutes later, involved a speeding Maruti Ertiga, whose driver reversed and fled, according to investigators who have reviewed the CCTV footage. Neither driver got out to check on the couple, who appeared to have survived the initial collision.

But the real horror was what happened after. For nearly eight hours, the mangled car sat on the side of the expressway, its doors jammed shut, its occupants bleeding inside, as hundreds of vehicles passed.

Ram’s father, Devi Singh, broke down repeatedly as he spoke from the family’s village, Kot Purine Pura.

“This is not how they should have died. Even if they were injured, even if they were disabled for life, we would have cared for them. But to die waiting for help that never came – how can the authorities be so irresponsible?” the 64-year-old said.

He said he kept calling their phones through the night. “First, the calls rang, then they went off. After 8 AM, the phone started ringing again, and a policeman answered. That is how we learned they had died.”

While the second crash with a white Maruti Ertiga happened at 12.14 AM, it was not until 7.38 AM – nearly eight hours after the first crash – that the police received the first alert, when villagers walking along the road spotted the wreck and the couple’s bodies inside.

Ram’s cousin Deepak Singh said the Ertiga driver could have saved them. “My sister-in-law had no visible injuries. She might have survived with timely help. Ram had severe head injuries and broken legs, but even then, if someone had stopped…” his voice trailed off.