Out for ECR thrill, 1 girl killed, 6 hurt

A 20-year-old college student died while six of her classmates sustained severe injuries after the car they were travelling in hit a median and toppled over on East Coast Road, on Sunday.

Police said 6 girls — Aakruti Dhingra, Sanjana, Shika, Heerr Shah, Utsa and Sneha — had been to Ridhi’s home in Kilpauk for the weekend. After Ridhi’s father had gone to sleep, the group reportedly took his car and went for a drive on ECR. Near the Temple for World Peace, in Injambakkam, the car hit the median and  rolled several times before landing on its roof. Police said the car was driven rashly by Ridhi.

Aakruti of Shenoy Nagar, who was seated in the front passenger seat, died on the spot while the other girls were injured. They were rescued by members of the public and rushed to a private hospital. Adyar traffic police registered a case under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC and were investigating. “The deceased sustained severe head injury,” a traffic police official said.