Vadodara: Two people have died in a five-vehicle crash on the Gotri-Harinagar bridge after a woman injured in the collision succumbed during treatment on Saturday. Police have arrested the SUV driver and are examining CCTV footage, medical reports and technical evidence.The death toll in Friday evening’s crash rose to two after Girja Vinodchandra Mistry, who was travelling in an autorickshaw, died of her injuries during treatment.Her family demanded stringent punishment for the accused and called for immediate steps to improve road safety on the bridge, citing a series of accidents there.Mistry was travelling from Gotri to Harni to attend a family function when the accident took place. Her son said the family received a phone call about the crash around 7.30pm on Friday. She was taken to Zydus Hospital and died at 2.30am on Saturday.“There have been several accidents on Gotri-Harinagar bridge. Road safety needs to be improved. Only stringent punishment, including the death penalty, will instil a sense of responsibility among drivers,” her son told mediapersons, demanding strict action against the person responsible.The crash involved a Ford Endeavour SUV, an Alto car, two autorickshaws and a motorcycle. According to a complaint registered with Akota police, the Endeavour driver was allegedly speeding and driving negligently. The SUV hit multiple vehicles in succession before the driver abandoned the vehicle at the scene and fled.Autorickshaw driver Arjunsinh Mahendrasinh Padhiyar died on the spot. Mistry, a passenger in another autorickshaw, suffered head and body injuries. Motorcycle rider Anil Kala Rohit and autorickshaw driver Anish Ayyub Shaikh were also injured.Police identified the accused as Taha Shabbir Pardawala, a system engineer with New Metal Mirror India Pvt Ltd. He has been arrested in connection with the crash.Investigators are examining medical reports, CCTV footage, the vehicle’s speed and other technical evidence to establish the circumstances that led to the collision, including whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
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