Killer-car passenger's take

KATHMANDU, Aug 9: Somewhat reassured after meeting police officers on Saturday that it would not hinder his career which, if things go as planned, will start abroad after his +2 exam results, Soji Shrestha started recollecting the deadly accident that took the lives of five Indian nationals and a Nepali in the capital early Wednesday.

Hit-and-run driver regrets staying back for birthday

Car runs over pedestrians, kills six

Shrestha, 18, was in the front seat of the Honda City that met with catastrophe at the hands of reckless driver Biplab Man Singh Dangol. [break]

Of the three other persons in the car at the time of the accident, Shrestha became the first to respond to the police call for help with the investigations. He spoke to myrepublica.com after getting a nod from his businessman father. In his own words:

Biplab is my schoolmate. We had our entire schooling together. We remained very close and were like family. But I had missed his birthdays for a couple of years. This time I could not miss the party because he was going to Bangalore and also because he insisted on my presence, with frequent calls till the evening.

It was already 12:30 a.m. when the party ended. We came down to the car. I took the front seat and [fellow-passengers] Shekhar Agrawal and Abhijit sat in the back.

We pulled out at Sundhara and Biplab drove straight to first drop Shekhar off at Chhetrapati. The car sped fast. Immediately after we passed Bir Hospital, what I remember is the sight of a lone person crossing the road. I do not remember any motorbike that the car had to overtake as reported by media quoting Biplab. I remember that Biplab suddenly rammed on the brake on seeing that person and the car then spun around.

The moment was a terror-stricken one for me; my mind, I think, could not function. As the car came to a halt, I just opened the door and walked headlong towards Bir Hospital. No part of my mind seemed to work for me to remember there were other friends and an accident had taken place, presumably killing at least one person--the one who was crossing the road. For me it was like regaining my senses only after I reached home by taxi from Bir Hospital. I did not mention it to my family and went to bed, only to spend a sleepless night.

Next morning the news came as a shock because the accident was the same one we had encountered. The fatality figure was six. Remorse and sorrow overflowed my mind and I regretted the incident. Finally I felt that I had to have recourse to practical life and help the state pick up the pieces.

Lastly, I would say two things. The first one is assimilation: Driving well does not lead to accidents. Another is my heartfelt condolence for the departed souls.