‘It was scary even to see it’: Eyewitness mistakes Koramangala accident for a blast

The man who was vomiting blood was taken out and rushed to hospital, an eyewitness said

Seven people include the son of Hosur MLA Prakaash Y of the DMK, Karunasagar were killed in a car accident at Koramangala in Bengaluru on Tuesday. A speeding Audi Q3 lost control, climbing onto the footpath before hitting a Punjab National Bank branch building. Credit: DH Photo/BK Janardhan

Speeding cars and motorcyclists doing wheelies are not an unfamiliar sight for residents of the upscale Koramangala neighbourhood.

But the horrific road accident involving an Audi Q3 in the early hours of Tuesday was an oddity.

Many residents, in fact, mistook it for a huge blast because the accident spot was engulfed in thick smoke.

Prabhu, a maintenance worker at the BBMP park located right next to where the car had screeched to a halt, ran out on the road after hearing a loud noise around 1.45 am.

“I saw a mangled car covered in thick smoke. Many residents and security guards also rushed to the spot. I ran to a building to get water and poured it on the car to put out the smoke and save those inside. I was terrified but a few auto drivers told me not to worry,” he said.

Prabhu and other bystanders then saw a man coughing and profusely vomiting blood at the back seat.

Also read: MLA's son among 7 killed in major accident in Bengaluru's Koramangala

“We were not able to pull him out because the doors were completely jammed. Three people sitting in the front were squeezed into the engine, and there was blood all over. A girl’s body was bound to the windshield. It was scary even to see it,” Prabhu said.

Adugodi traffic police arrived at the scene soon after and brought a crane.

The man who was vomiting blood was taken out and rushed to hospital in an auto but he didn’t survive, Prabhu said.