In a tragic accident, 26-year-old Australian, Matthew Ridley has passed away in India yesterday morning. He was astride a Royal Enfield motorcycle when a Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus going towards Agra hit him. Anthony too was headed from Delhi to Agra with two friends, Benett Kowald and Ian Borg. The trio had only reached India three days prior.
The accident involved at least four vehicles on the Yamuna Expressway. Other commuters too sustained injuries. The accident was a result of low visibility owing to fog. The UPSRTC bus first rammed into a truck, and lost it balance, and then struck the bike. The collision was of great impact and left the front of the bus shattered. The driver, conductor and a school girl in the UPSRTC bus sustained injuries.
The injured were taken to Kailash Hospital, Greater Noida. Matthew Ridley, a professional computer programmer, was declared dead on arrival. The bus and motorcycle have been removed from the accident spot. An FIR has been registered against the UPSRTC bus driver under IPC sections 279 (rash driving), and 304A (causing death due to negligence).
The trio were schoolmates, and grew up in Sydney. Their India trip was to be a month long vacation that included riding to Agra from Delhi, visiting Varanasi, and then heading to Goa. The three were on a month long tourist visa in India. After spending two days in Delhi, the trio set out to begin their trip on Thursday morning itself, and for this they had opted for bike rentals.
Here is an update from Mathew’s family.
It is with heart break and devastation that I share the news that my brother Matthew Ridley, son to Diane & Tony, has…
Posted by Tara Ridley on Thursday, 21 December 2017
The trio had been riding on the left of the expressway when the speeding bus drove into Mathew’s bike. The Australian embassy was been notified about the incident, and are aiding in legal formalities. Both friends will leave India once formalities are completed.
“We obeyed all traffic rules. We were keeping the left side on the expressway. Suddenly, a speeding bus lost its balance and rammed against Mathew’s bike. He was fatally wounded and he died on the spot. We are shattered over the incident,” said his friend in the hospital.
On duty security guard at the spot where the accident took place, Mukesh Kumar said, “I feel the bus driver was at fault. The driver was speeding and driving rash. The Australian national was keeping the left. The bus driver took the extreme left and rammed against his bike. The victim and bike were badly stuck in the pole and it was difficult to extricate him.”
