Pant’s car hit divider while trying to avoid pothole, says Uttarakhand CM Dhami, cricketer’s condition improving

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami meets the family of Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant admitted at Max Hospital after an accident, in Dehradun, on January 1, 2023
| Photo Credit: PTI

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who on Sunday visited injured Rishabh Pant at the Max Hospital here, said the cricketer’s car hit the divider while he was trying to avoid a pothole on the Delhi-Dehradun highway.

Pant is stable and his condition is improving, sources at the hospital said.

“He (Pant) said the car swerved across the road while trying to avoid a pothole or something black,” Dhami told reporters after meeting the cricketer at the hospital.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director, Shyam Sharma, who met Pant on Saturday, had also said quoting the batter that the accident occurred when he was trying to negotiate a pothole in the early hours of Friday.

The massive accident had occurred at around 5.30 am on Friday when Pant’s car hit a road divider near Roorkee in Haridwar district and burst into flames causing multiple injuries to the cricketer who had a miraculous escape.

The Chief Minister was at the hospital for nearly an hour taking an update on Pant’s condition from his mother, sister and doctors.

He assured them that the State government will give all help for the treatment of the cricketer.

Rescuers to be honoured

Earlier in the day, Dhami announced that the Haryana Roadways driver and conductor who rushed to the cricketer’s rescue immediately after the accident and helped save his life will be honoured on the occasion of the Republic Day.

“By saving the life of the cricketer at the risk of their own lives, the Haryana Roadways driver and conductor have set an example for others. The state government will honour them on January 26,” Dhami said at the inauguration of a residential hostel for orphans and poor children here.

Haryana Roadways bus driver Sushil Kumar and conductor Paramjit saw Pant’s car hitting a divider and rolling to the other side of the road. They parked the bus along the roadside and rushed to rescue the cricketer. They pulled him out of the car and called the police.