‘I had seconds to react’: Survivor recounts horror of STRR crash that killed seven

Survivor recounts near-miss in Bengaluru crash that claimed seven lives, highlighting road safety concerns on Satellite Town Ring Road.

“It was pitch dark, and visibility was poor. I was depending entirely on my car’s headlights when, all of a sudden, I saw a tyre lying in the middle of the road, barely 40 to 50 metres ahead. In that split second, I knew I had to avoid it, otherwise, my car would have toppled,” recalled Nandan (name changed), the driver of an SUV who had a narrow escape in the pile-up near Sulibele on Friday (February 13).

His miraculous escape came even as seven people — including five minor boys — were tragically killed in the accident on the Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) (Hosakote–Dobbspet) near M. Satyavara on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Mr. Nandan managed to steer through the remnants of a container truck involved in the crash, which were strewn across the road. Amid the chaos, his vehicle hit the side barrier, but he escaped unhurt.

“I was heading to the airport with my cousin to pick up a friend who had arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Thankfully, I was able to control the car, otherwise, the outcome could have been very different,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Nandan left home around 3.30 a.m., and the incident occurred at about 4.12 a.m., a few metres after crossing the Kambalipura gate bridge. He said he was driving at a speed of 80 to 90 kmph.

Recounting the moments of terror, Mr. Nandan said that on spotting the tyre, he swerved first to the right and then sharply to the left to steady the vehicle. As he was still processing what was happening, he suddenly saw an entire chassis that had been ripped off the truck in front of him. “I again veered to the right. By then, my speed had come down to 30 to 40 kmph, but I lost a bit of control and rammed into the side barrier. Fortunately, because of the reduced speed, the damage was limited,” he said.