According to reports, the mishap took place as the Karnataka-registered car was heading towards Panaji and on reaching Bhoma, the driver lost control and the car rammed into the Sati Devi shrine located by the roadside.
Triloknath Hiremath died on the spot, while four others—Mounesh M (42), Sachin Alandkar (47), Basalingappa Dattangaon (40), and Shivkumar (40; all residents of Dharwad, Karnataka)—sustained serious injuries.
Kundaim fire personnel rushed to the site and rescued three injured occupants who were trapped inside the vehicle. Police Inspector Yogesh Sawant and a team from the Mardol police station also went to the site. Traffic on the Ponda-Panaji highway was halted for a while after the accident.
Two female doctors who were commuting from Ponda to their jobs at Goa Medical College hospital, immediately stepped out of their vehicle to administer first aid to the injured.
The victims were subsequently transported to the GMC hospital via a ‘108’ ambulance, and locals praised the two doctors for their timely action to render assistance to the injured persons at the scene of the accident.
Police stated that all five occupants of the car involved in the accident were employees of a court and had arrived from Belagavi on Friday evening to visit the State. The accident occurred while the group was travelling from Ponda—where they had stayed the previous night—towards Panaji.
