A crane was lifting the car that had flipped into the ditch. Yesterday, at the Dongyaolu intersection in Chaoyang, a three-car collision occurred. Photo by reporter Yang Jie.
Report by correspondent Lu Man: The Chery car spun in the air, landing upside down in the ditch and catching fire. "The doors were jammed shut," said Mr. Gao, the driver, "I smashed the windshield with my hands and crawled out."
Yesterday, at the Dongyaolu intersection in Jinzhan Town, Chaoyang District, three cars collided, resulting in two cars flipping into the ditch, one of which was the Chery car that caught fire.
Three cars collided, two flipped into the ditch
At around 11:00 AM yesterday, police tape was stretched across the road below the Dongyaolu bridge, with the air filled with a burnt smell.
A black BYD car was parked beside the guardrail, its right front wheel almost detached, about 2 meters of guardrail bent inward. In the 3-4 meter deep ditch to the west, a silver Toyota car's hood was deformed, while next to it, a red Chery car was upside down, its body burned black.
Witness Mr. Tian stated that at around 10:00 AM, the Toyota car and the Chery car were traveling one after another from north to south. Approaching the Dongyaolu intersection, the two cars collided with a BYD car coming from west to east. "The BYD car spun around," hitting the guardrail. The Toyota car's hood pressed against the rear of the Chery car, causing both to crash into the dry ditch by the roadside.
One car flipped over and caught fire
"A car is on fire!" Witness Ms. Liu said that after the two cars flipped into the ditch, the red Chery car caught fire while upside down. Flames shot up half a meter high, with thick smoke. Subsequently, the driver crawled out of the car.
Two people also climbed out from the Toyota car that had flipped into the ditch together. The three of them climbed up the embankment together.
Subsequently, firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire. The three injured drivers were taken away by the 120 emergency vehicle.
By noon yesterday, in the emergency hall of Huaxin Hospital, the three drivers were receiving treatment. The doctor indicated that the three suffered varying degrees of superficial injuries, with two drivers awaiting CT results, but currently, all were out of danger.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation
"I was dazed by the collision." Mr. Li, the owner of the BYD car, said that he was just preparing to go through the tunnel when suddenly a car coming from the left side crashed into him. When he came to his senses, the car had already stopped by the roadside.
Mr. Gao was the driver of the burning Chery car. He recalled that at the time of the incident, he was preparing to slow down and turn right when suddenly the Toyota car behind him hit his car from behind, subsequently colliding with the BYD car coming from the west. Then his car fell into the ditch together with the Toyota car.
In response, the Toyota driver stated that the cause of the accident had not yet been clarified and declined to be interviewed.
Yesterday, a police officer handling the scene of the accident stated that the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
■ In Peril
Desperately smashing the windshield
Yesterday, in the emergency room of Huaxin Hospital, the driver of the Chery car, Mr. Gao, had his right hand wrapped in bandages, saying it was injured while smashing the glass.
Mr. Gao recalled that after the collision, his car spun in the air, falling upside down into the ditch, leaving him trapped inside unable to move. "Suddenly, I smelled smoke and felt some heat." Mr. Gao realized that the car might have caught fire. He tried to open the door but found it jammed shut. In desperation, Mr. Gao desperately smashed the windshield with his hands and crawled out of the car. Afterward, he and the people who got out of the Toyota car climbed up the embankment together.
"The car is gone, but I'm alive, lucky me." Mr. Gao sighed deeply.