PANAJI: A 23-year-old woman died on the spot after a high-speed luxury car collided with a two-wheeler on the Dona Paula stretch late Sunday night, bringing road safety concerns in the area into sharp focus.
The deceased, Diksha Parwarkar, a Karnataka native working at Hotel Cidade de Goa, was riding with colleague D Arun, a Margao resident originally from Chennai. Arun sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital. The driver of the car, 22-year-old Darius Dias from Chicolna, Bogmalo-Vasco, has been arrested, and an FIR registered.
Police and eyewitnesses said the accident occurred near Manipal Hospital when a yellow Mini Cooper, allegedly speeding, lost control and hit the oncoming two-wheeler. The collision's force threw both victims into the air before they landed on the road.
Locals and hospital staff rushed to assist. Diksha was declared dead on arrival due to severe head injuries. Arun suffered critical head and leg injuries. Authorities are probing whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
The crash has renewed fears over speeding along the Dona Paula stretch, where wide roads often encourage reckless night driving. Residents have long called for speed breakers near Manipal Hospital, citing heavy movement of patients and visitors, but no measures have been implemented.
A senior PWD official said no proposal for a speed breaker is currently on the table, though the site will be evaluated for potential designation as an accident-prone "black spot," with traffic police input sought before moving a proposal to the district collector.
The tragic incident has sparked public outrage, with citizens demanding stricter control of speeding and better safety measures along the Dona Paula stretch.