Traffic cop’s quick dash saves crash victim in north Delhi

A Delhi Traffic Police inspector and a constable helped save the life of a 40-year-old scooter rider who lay critically injured on a north Delhi Road after crashing into a divider late at night, officials said on Monday.

The accident took place on May 2 near the Burari Flyover when Inspector Yashpal Bhati of the Northern Range was returning after duty and spotted the man unconscious on the road with serious head and facial injuries.

Instead of waiting for an ambulance, Bhati and Constable Sahdev immediately stopped, lifted the injured rider into their vehicle and rushed him to the Trauma Centre at Civil Lines, a move doctors later said proved crucial in keeping the victim alive. Hospital staff said the injured man’s condition has now stabilised and he is out of danger.

Officials identified the victim as Vinod Chandra Pujari, a resident of West Vinod Nagar. Police said the scooter rider had rammed into the road divider and collapsed on the stretch before the traffic personnel reached the spot. By the time the officers noticed him, he was lying motionless and bleeding heavily from the head and face. With no time to lose, the two policemen chose not to wait for emergency medical support and shifted him directly to the hospital.

The speed of that decision, officials said, made the difference between life and death. Doctors at the Trauma Centre later informed police that the victim had suffered severe injuries and required immediate treatment. Medical staff said that had there been further delay in evacuation, the situation could have turned fatal.

Along with ensuring medical admission, the traffic personnel also began efforts to trace the injured man’s family. Officials said his relatives were contacted soon after his identity was established and informed about his condition and location.

By Monday, doctors confirmed that Pujari had responded to treatment and was no longer in immediate danger.

Though Delhi Police personnel are frequently first responders on city roads, such interventions often go unnoticed unless an incident turns fatal or sparks public attention.

In this case, officials said, the officers’ presence on the road at the right moment and their decision to act without procedural delay ensured that a badly injured commuter did not become another late-night accident statistic.

The Burari Flyover and adjoining northern corridors witness regular high-speed movement at night, particularly by two-wheelers, and accidents involving divider collisions are not uncommon on poorly lit or fast-moving stretches. Road safety experts have repeatedly underlined that the first few minutes after a major crash are critical, especially in cases involving head trauma and blood loss.

Any delay in transport, even if caused by waiting for an ambulance, can sharply reduce chances of survival. Police officials said Inspector Bhati and Constable Sahdev followed exactly the kind of rapid response that emergency trauma cases demand.