Dehradun: Images of Rishabh Pant’s burnt and crumpled Mercedes made for a scary sight and showed how horrific the accident involving the Team India cricketer was.
CCTV footage, purportedly of the incident, showed Pant’s car hitting a road divider, seemingly at a high speed, raising several questions.
However, Uttarakhand Police said on Saturday said Pant, who was alone in the SUV early on Friday, wasn’t overspeeding or in an inebriated state.
“We have checked eight to 10 speed cameras from the Uttar Pradesh border to the accident spot in Narsan… the cricketer’s car didn’t cross the speed limit which is 80 km per hour on that national highway. In the CCTV footage, the car appears to be at a high speed because it went into the air after hitting the divider. Our technical team also inspected the accident site. We didn’t find anything that suggests overspeeding by the cricketer,” said Haridwar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ajai Singh.
“Had he been drunk, how could he drive a long distance of 200 km from Delhi without any accident? The doctor who provided first aid at the Roorkee hospital also stated Pant was completely normal. That’s why he was able to successfully pull himself out of the car. Anybody drunk would not have been able to get out of the car,” the SSP added.
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Uttarakhand director general of police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said Pant had dozed off at the wheel, which caused the accident.
A team of forensic experts, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and transport department officials studied the gutted car at Narsan police check post.
Pant, being treated at Max Hospital in Dehradun, is stable.
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