A husk-laden truck overturned onto a Bolero vehicle near Pahadi Gate in Rampur on the Nainital National Highway (NH-87) on Sunday, December 28, 2025, fatally crushing the Bolero’s driver — identified as Firasat, a driver for a government department — in a terrifying collision captured on CCTV. Police have launched an investigation, recovered the vehicle wreckage, and informed the victim’s family, while traffic disruptions and safety concerns linger on this busy state highway.
What Happened: Rampur Nainital Accident in Detail
At about 4:30 pm on Sunday in Rampur district’s Ganj police station area, a truck heavily loaded with husk/wood shavings lost balance while negotiating a turn near the Pahadi Gate intersection of the Nainital Highway (NH-87). The truck’s front wheel mounted the central divider, causing it to tilt, scrape, and then topple onto a nearby Bolero vehicle which was in the midst of a turning maneuver.
The sequence — later confirmed by CCTV footage circulating online — showed the Bolero beginning a turn from a highway cut when the oncoming truck, unable to maintain stability, overturned sideways, crushing the SUV beneath it.
Victim and Vehicle
- The Bolero was reportedly assigned to a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh Power Department, though the officer was not in the vehicle at the time of the crash; the driver, Firasat (about 54 years old), was returning from duty when the collision occurred.
- Police recovered his body from the wreckage after efforts by rescue workers with cranes, bulldozers, and a JCB.
- The truck driver sustained minor injuries and was initially treated at a local hospital but left the medical facility and is reportedly at large as police continue their search.
SP Vidyasagar Mishra and officer teams from several local police stations responded to the scene, oversaw the rescue, and began investigating the precise causes of the accident.
Highway and Rescue Operations
The impact left the Bolero nearly flattened under the overturned truck. Rescue and road-clearing teams worked for over 90 minutes to stabilise the scene — including partially emptying the truck’s load — and to remove debris while temporarily diverting traffic. A traffic backlog of nearly 2 kilometres formed before partial flow was restored.
Police confirmed they have impounded the truck and are collecting evidence as part of the ongoing inquiry. Families of those involved have been informed, and post-mortem procedures were underway.
Scene of the Crash: Why It Unfolded
Eyewitness and police accounts indicate:
- The truck attempted a maneuver at the intersection without sufficient clearance from behind, placing it dangerously close to the Bolero turning ahead.
- As the Bolero cut into the turning path, the truck attempted to swerve and avoid direct contact by steering toward the central divider — but the front wheel climbed the divider and triggered an immediate loss of balance, leading to the catastrophic topple.
- Once the truck began tipping, its center of gravity shifted abruptly, and its massive weight bore down on the smaller vehicle beneath.
The dynamics — particularly with an overloaded cargo of husk — would have amplified the instability, making recovery nearly impossible once the truck started to tilt.
CCTV and Viral Social Media Coverage
A viral video clip from a nearby CCTV camera has drawn widespread attention on social media platforms, showing the crash unfold in real time. Though such footage can be disturbing, it has provided investigators with critical early visual evidence of how the collision progressed.
Local news outlets highlight how the dramatic visuals underscore the peril of busy highway intersections and overloaded heavy vehicles sharing tight spaces with smaller government-use cars.
Traffic Conditions and Road Safety Concerns
Impact on Traffic
- The collision created significant traffic delays for nearly three hours along the busy Delhi–Nainital NH-87 corridor, a key freight and commuter route.
- Vehicles were diverted through alternative routes during clearance operations.
Safety and Enforcement Issues
Experts and officials emphasise longstanding concerns about:
- Overloading of trucks, which dramatically increases rollover risk, especially on highway curves and intersections.
- Insufficient spacing and traffic management at key junctions like Pahadi Gate.
- Mixed vehicle types — heavy trucks and light utility vehicles — sharing high-speed corridors without adequate separation.
While police are investigating this specific crash, road safety advocates point to the need for stricter enforcement of load limits, better signage, and intersection design improvements to prevent similar tragedies.
Legal and Investigative Status
As of the latest verified reports:
- Police have taken custody of the truck and are investigating the sequence of events and culpability.
- No arrests have been officially announced. The truck driver remains unconfirmed as detained and may be at large, per initial local reports.
- The matter is being treated as a fatal motor vehicle accident under Indian traffic and criminal statutes, with formal documentation and charges pending after forensic assessment.
Eyewitness and Community Reaction
Residents and travellers in Rampur expressed shock at the speed with which the accident occurred and at how swiftly the Bolero was crushed beneath the truck’s weight. Many highlighted the stress on highways during peak evening traffic, noting that even minor miscalculations in spacing can have fatal consequences on roads shared by heavy-load vehicles.
Officials have appealed to the public to:
- Maintain safe following distances on highways.
- Avoid risky overtaking or sudden lane changes at high-traffic intersections.
- Report overloaded trucks and unsafe driving to authorities.
Takeaways: What This Tragic Crash Tells Us
This incident is another stark reminder — seen too often in India’s densely travelled road networks — that:
- Intersection dynamics and mixed vehicle traffic require rigorous safety protocols.
- Heavy vehicle overloads are not just regulatory violations; they are statistically linked to rollover and crush hazards.
- CCTV footage is increasingly critical in reconstructing high-speed collisions, aiding early investigations and public transparency.
Conclusion
The Rampur Nainital accident stands as a tragic and vivid illustration of the lethal risk heavy vehicles pose when balance, speed, and roadway geometry intersect unfavorably. A husk-laden truck, overloaded and unstable, overturned onto a government-marked Bolero, leaving a dedicated driver dead and raising pressing questions about road safety norms, highway design, and enforcement along the busy Nainital Highway.
Police investigations continue, and as families await closure through legal and forensic processes, this event serves not only as a heart-wrenching loss but as a critical case study in road safety reform — one that demands attention from authorities and commuters alike.
