A major road accident near Delhi’s busy ITO intersection has left six people injured, including two sitting legislators, after a car lost control, crossed a road divider and collided head-on with an Innova SUV. It took place near the Public Works Department (PWD) office in central Delhi and halted traffic in one of the capital’s busiest corridors.
The accident occurred at 9:30 PM when a Swift car travelling from Laxmi Nagar to ITO hit the divider and crossed the railing into the opposite carriageway, Delhi police said. It hit an Innova that was coming from the opposite direction towards Laxmi Nagar. The front parts of both vehicles were badly damaged, they said.
Police identified the Swift driver as 32-year-old Ashutosh Pandey, who was going to visit his wife and two children. The driver lost control before hitting the divider, investigators say, but they have not ruled out speeding, driver error or something else.
The injured were Kirari MLA Anil Jha of Delhi and Karnataka MLA Abhay Patil, who were in the Innova at the time of the accident. All legislators and Swift passengers were injured, and the Swift driver was also injured and brought to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital immediately after the accident for treatment. Fortunately, police officials said that all six injured people have only minor injuries and are now in a stable condition.
Emergency response teams were at the scene shortly after a PCR call was received at the IP Estate police station. Fire brigade representatives also came out to clear vehicles off the road and restore normal traffic flow. Emergency responders quickly handled traffic congestion in the area, known for heavy traffic at peak times.
VIDEO | Delhi: Kirari MLA Anil Jha and Karnataka MLA Abhay Patil sustained minor injuries along with several others after the vehicle they were travelling in collided with another car near the ITO area.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 23, 2026
The other car was being driven by a man traveling with his wife and two… pic.twitter.com/J3YyzB3zoc
The accident has made road safety matters even more imperative in Delhi, where the traffic volume and speed of driving are the cause of many serious collisions. Experts said better enforcement of traffic laws, better driving awareness and better road infrastructure would reduce accidents at junction points and in metropolitan areas such as the capital city. This incident had no deaths, and public officials and a family with young children came to the scene, drawing the public’s attention.
Delhi Police are investigating and have collected evidence from the accident site, including vehicle damage, eyewitness accounts, and possibly CCTV footage from nearby locations. This is likely to make the case more complicated.
The incident is a lesson in the unpredictability of road accidents and the need to follow traffic laws. Now that all the injured persons are out of danger, attention now focuses on the official investigation and measures that can help prevent similar accidents in the future.
