May 3: Four members of a family travelling in two cars had a close shave when a speeding truck rammed into one from behind and it lunged and hit the other on BT Road last night.

Police said a truck registered in Odisha crashed into a Hyundai i10 standing at a traffic signal near Chiria More on BT Road around 10.15pm. The car lurched ahead and hit another i10 standing just in front of it.

The cars had two people each, all members of the Bhor family of Shyampukur in north Calcutta. All four, returning home from a wedding reception, needed first aid.

"Prithwish Bhor, who was at the wheel of the car hit by the truck, suffered maximum injury but none was seriously injured," an officer of Cossipore police station said.

Both cars were mangled and towed to the police station, where Prithwish later lodged a complaint. The driver of the lorry escaped, leaving behind his vehicle.

There is no restriction on truck movement along BT Road after 10pm.

Last night, Shyambazar-bound traffic was stuck for some time following the accident, which regulars said was a pointer to the perils of driving on BT Road, one of the key arteries of the city.

The 7km-stretch of the road between Shyambazar and Dunlop passes through the areas of two police commissionerates - Calcutta and Barrackpore. The accident site, about 5km from the office of the Shyambazar traffic guard, is within the Calcutta police area.

Several residents said very few traffic cops are posted on the road after 10pm, when trucks tend to speed down both flanks.

"The lorries take up most of the road space, forcing smaller cars to at times try and squeeze past," said Anirudhha Basak, a resident of Baranagar.