Tragic End to Test Drive in Coimbatore
A young employee of a car showroom in Coimbatore met a horrific end on Wednesday night. N Vimal Raj, aged 22, was charred to death after the vehicle he was travelling in crashed into a steel pipe and burst into flames. The fatal incident occurred on Thirumalayampalayam Road in Coimbatore district.
Sequence of Events Leading to the Crash
According to police, Vimal Raj and his colleague, 22-year-old V Akash, had taken a car from their showroom near Saibaba Colony for a promotional event, or mela, at Ettimadai. After the event concluded, they were joined by a friend of Akash, K Murali, 24. The trio was returning to the showroom when the tragedy unfolded.
Akash was behind the wheel, with Vimal in the front passenger seat and Murali seated at the rear. A preliminary police investigation has revealed a critical detail: the three men had consumed alcohol after the mela. Their journey took a dangerous turn when, at the Ettimadai junction, their car hit a two-wheeler. Instead of stopping, they fled the scene.
High-Speed Crash and Fatal Fire
The car then proceeded at high speed onto Thirumalaiyampalayam Road. It was here that Akash lost control of the vehicle. The car veered off the road and smashed into a steel pipe on the roadside. The impact was so severe that the car immediately caught fire.
In the ensuing chaos, Akash and Murali managed to escape from the burning wreckage. Tragically, Vimal Raj became trapped inside. Despite their efforts, they could not rescue him, and he succumbed to the flames.
Police Investigation Underway
Local authorities have registered a case and an investigation is actively progressing. The police are piecing together the exact circumstances, including the role of alcohol and the earlier hit-and-run incident. The community of Kovaipudur, where Vimal Raj resided, is in mourning following the sudden loss of the young man.
This incident serves as a grim reminder of the devastating consequences of drunk and reckless driving, turning a routine professional assignment into an unimaginable catastrophe.
